California Heat Wave
One of the many fans in Millikan classrooms across campus. Photo Courtesy: Alani
October 10, 2022
Fall is finally here, are you ready for sweater weather? Too bad, we’re in a heatwave! September is the time of year to settle into fall and get ready for the holiday season, but this year, California’s September has so far been a record-breaking heat wave.
Residents have been told to conserve energy in order to avoid rolling blackouts due to the high demand for electricity. Many people have resorted to ACs and fans to remain cool, which require a lot of power. This September’s heatwave has been the hottest and longest reported in California history, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Millikan has definitely felt the heat, and most classrooms with A/C are putting it to good use.
Photo Courtesy: Advanced Photography student
The heat wave is a result of higher global temperatures causing warmer oceans, according to Mr. Cruz Cardenas, the AP Environmental Science teacher at Millikan.
More record-breaking heat waves like this will continue to happen in the future. “It is more likely than not that we will experience more heat waves for extended periods of time,” says Cruz.
So, maybe wait a little more before you defrost your sweaters.
Haley Evans • Oct 31, 2022 at 9:32 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled, “California Heat Wave.” This article talks about the recent heat wave that the state of California endured. The article also speaks about how Californians were asked to come together and conserve energy so that the state’s power would stay intact. Prior to reading this article, I had no idea that the heat wave was because of global temperatures, and that this would be the cause to warmer ocean temperatures. Will this also have an effect on the already in-danger glaciers? Will this cause more wildlife to become endangered? I also find it very interesting that these record-breaking heat waves will continue to happen in the future, which means that more preparations for them should occur. Especially because they will be for longer periods of time. I believe that Alma should have added more information on the effects that this heat wave had on the environment and what this could mean for the future, especially because she included the part about how there are more to come. Other than that, this article was well-written and was also pretty enjoyable to read. Thank you for educating me more on this topic.
Ryan Kaven • Oct 30, 2022 at 4:54 pm
On October 10th 2022, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave” This article mentions the difference in temperature during fall this year compared to previous years. It mentions how California is setting a record breaking heat wave during a cold season. Along with information of a heat wave, it also informs us that residents have been ordered to attempt to conserve energy to reduce chances of blackouts. The article explains how heat waves only last a couple of days (2-4) but it also states that this heat wave was also record breaking in its length along with temperatures. In the article it explains that millikan is going through a rough time due to the heat wave if there is no A/C. Even though I have classes that have working A/C, the teachers did not turn it on when necessary. This forced us to sit in classes with temperatures as high as 95 degrees. With these temperatures it is impossible to maintain focus when you are sweating on your paper. I believe that the irregular temperatures that we students experience in these heat waves hinder our ability to excel in academics. In the future I would like to see every classroom have working air conditioning to better help students focus.
Isabella Torres • Oct 24, 2022 at 1:13 pm
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave”. In this article, Perez mentions how the season of fall has been put on hold due to extreme heat here in California. Perez also states how this heat wave is record-breaking here in California. Perez back this up by summarizing California’s Governor Gavin Newsom. I really liked how she did this because it uses the rhetorical strategy of ethos, in which she uses what Governor Gavin Newsom said, which many people know and trust, to better support her claim. I also would like to add that I find it very
interesting how she connects to her audience by mentioning how this
heat wave impacted Millikan High School and its students. This shows us that the author knows her audience well. Perez also includes quotes from Millikan High School’s, AP Environmental Science teacher Mr. Cruz Cardenas. Mr. Cruz Cardenas has credibility due to the fact he is an
environmental science teacher at the high school. Although Perez gives many facts about this heat wave, I do wish, however, that the author explains how this heat wave affects students and teachers. How do the students feel about this heat wave? How do the teachers and staff feel
about it? I would really like to know the thoughts and reactions of the students, staff, and teachers about the heat wave in California. Other than this slight detail, I find the article very
interesting and it was written well.
Jimena Cuevas • Oct 24, 2022 at 11:36 am
On October 20, Alma Perez wrote an article published on the Millikan Corydon titled “California Heat Wave”. The article mentions that the classrooms with A/C have been staying cool. However, those without classroom get too hot and become so uncomfortable due to having to sit in the class for almost 2 hours. Although there are fans, it feels like they don’t do anything. All classrooms should be provided with an A/C whether it is one of those you put on a window, a portable A/C, or an entire building one. I really liked that Mr. Cruz was able to be involved in this article since he is an AP Environmental Science teacher. However, he has also been my coach for the Girls Millikan Soccer team, so he is always throwing out facts about the world. Every practice, there is a, what I like to call it, “random fact of the day”. One of the facts was about the heat wave and how global warming is causing it, so having that included in the article was very cool. Perez said that due to the increasing demand for electricity, residents are being advised to conserve energy to prevent rolling blackouts. In this heat, it’s almost impossible to do so.
Nina Mungcal • Oct 21, 2022 at 2:01 pm
On October 1o, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave.” The article draws attention to the heat wave Californians experienced back in September, and how record-breaking heat waves will continue to happen due to global warming. In addition, the article talks about how residents have been told to conserve energy by cutting back on the use of A/C to avoid blackouts. I felt that this article is significant because it raises questions that should be discussed in the near future. For instance, Perez mentions how Mr. Cruz Cardenas Millikan’s AP Environmental Science teacher, states that it is more likely that longer-lasting heat waves will occur more often in the future. By including this statement, Perez leaves readers to ponder on the issue. Personally, it makes me evaluate how I can help slow global warming to avoid the effects of it. I’m fortunate to have central A/C at home, and during heat waves, our neighborhood is strongly advised to cut back on energy consumption. One way we could cut back on energy consumption is to set the temperature higher on A/C thermostats, so that it won’t be running for extended periods of time to cool the house. Also, Perez states that “Millikan has definitely felt the heat…,” which I’m sure most students and staff can relate to. It would be interesting if we can dive deeper into how the recent heat waves have affected sports practices.
Luis Chavez • Oct 21, 2022 at 11:59 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave”. The article gives good, important and relatable pieces of information regarding the heat waves taking place. An example of this is talking about how people are reacting to the heat and what they were doing about it by telling us that people resort to using fans or air conditioners in or outside of school. All of us relate to this information because we are all constantly using these machines to keep us as cool as possible as much as we can. The photo that the article provided was a good thing to have because it shows what people or classes are doing about this heated situation. The information provided is also cited well, as the governor of California was brought in to solidify and source information, proving that it is not false that the September heat wave was the hottest in the state’s history. The article gives us the reason for this killer heat, what it has been doing to the planet and what will most likely occur in the future with the heat waves. This time, the article states that this information was according to Mr. Cruz Cardenas, who is the AP Environmental teacher at Millikan. This teacher is familiar and knowledgeable about this topic. This article did a good job in telling us about the heat waves happening in our state, giving us information that a person must know about it and also what to expect in the future about the heat. Thank you for letting us know about the heat that has been affecting our daily lives, strengthening our knowledge in this topic.
Andres Betran • Oct 21, 2022 at 11:58 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave”. The article mentions how California’s September temperatures have been at an all time high and that we are likely to experience heat waves for extended periods of time. Although we are fortunate enough to have some buildings with A/C and adequate classrooms for school instruction, higher temperatures can affect the learning of students. Students with increased exposure to these high temperatures can demonstrate a decrease in their productivity, attention, and mood throughout the day. For example, many students resort to putting her head down and taking frequent breaks when it’s hot. At times, it seems as if it’s hotter inside the classrooms than outdoors. For classrooms without A/C, which measures, besides fans, can be implemented to mitigate the effects of the heat? In order to avoid a potential blackout, it is stated that conserving electricity is something to consider when it’s hot. With this in mind, how would an increase in fan-use affect the use of power? Or, how would the implementation or installation of A/C units change our school’s energy use? Lastly, how much funding would be required to accomplish this change in cooling systems? Is it economically viable?
Aubrey Camp • Oct 21, 2022 at 11:58 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave”. The article mentions that even though fall is here the weather is too hot and isn’t adequate sweater weather. It mentions that California is in a record breaking heat wave due to the higher global temperatures. I like that this article expresses what the california residents are dealing with in the heat, the article explains how residents are being asked to conserve energy so that we don’t experience rolling blackouts from the high demand of electricity. It also mentions that while California is asking for the conservation of energy many won’t adhere to the request because many people have resorted to amping up their air conditioning and using fans to stay cool which drains a lot of power. The article quotes Mr. Cruz Cardenas, the AP Environmental Science teacher explains how in the future we will continue to experience more and more heat waves as the oceans are warming, only in the future they heat waves will continue to grow longer, leaving Californians in the heat with a power grid unable to hold up the entire state. One of the best things about fall is the jackets and the sweaters, the article mentions that it isn’t time to defrost sweaters just yet, unfortunately throwing off the normal fall fashion trends and reverting back to summer attire.
Sofia D • Oct 21, 2022 at 11:46 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave”. The article mentions that although September is when the weather should start getting chillier, this year has had a record-breaking heat wave. This article caught my eye because I am very interested in the subject of the environment and would like to know more on the effects of climate change. I would definitely be interested in knowing more about the power outages that would be caused if everyone used the energy needed to cool. I think if you were to continue to write about this topic, it would be important to elaborate more on the dangers of ignoring the problem and how the issue will eventually, if not now, have a direct impact on everyone. While reading this, I especially loved the use of humor to engage the reader. Some things I question now after reading your article are, why are the heat waves getting longer? What are some alternatives to using electric energy when staying cool? And how permanent are these heat waves? Overall I think your article was a great straight forward read, and it will definitely help open the idea of climate change to the common public. Awesome job, keep up the good work.
Ethan Marasigan • Oct 21, 2022 at 10:02 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave.” The article speaks upon the grueling heat wave that is occurring. Throughout the article, you mention how California residents have been told to conserve energy and why the heat wave is even happening. You also demonstrate visuals to show how the students and staff at Millikan are handling the heat. In the article, you mention how this past California September has been a record-breaking heat wave. Later in the article, you back it up with a statement by the AP Environmental Science teacher here at Millikan that the heat wave was caused by higher global temperatures. In addition, you mention how California residents have been requested to conserve their energy and that the California Governor, Gavin Newsom has said that the September heatwave has been the hottest and longest reported in California history which brings me to the question, is there anything significant that is being done to prevent more heat waves from happening? Also, if these heat waves continue to occur in the future, how much longer can the world last? Thank you for writing about the heat wave and showing us how people are dealing with it.
Riley Cabarles • Oct 20, 2022 at 12:03 pm
On November 10, Alma Perez wrote an Article titled “California Heat Wave”. California has been Hot as hell recently and it has been TORTURE sitting in these non-air conditioned classrooms in this 85 degree weather. Also with a room full of students, the body heat is horrendous. This heat has me walking out of class looking like I just finished a 45 minute spin class. I have been wearing shorts and short sleeve shirts which have been so boring wearing the same thing all week long. This weather has me rolling up the sleeves of my shirt because it’s so hot, not because I’m trying to show off my humongous muscles. Perez stated in the article, “Residents have been told to conserve energy in order to avoid blackouts due to the high demand for electricity. Many people have resorted to ACs and fans to stay cool, which require a lot of power.” How can we stay cool in this dreadful weather and at the same time try to conserve electricity and not cause blackouts. I enjoyed how you input outside sources such as Mr. Cruz. For example, Cruz stated that we’ll have to experience more heat waves for extended periods of time, and how can we prepare for these events in the future? Thank you for introducing me to this topic Perez. 🙂
Andrew So • Oct 20, 2022 at 11:54 am
*(This submission is for your “Digital ID’s article but it disappeared so I’m putting it here)
On October 20, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “Digital ID’s”. The article mentions that this year every major high school has opted to use online ID’s using the “Minga” app to do so. I do agree with Robinson when he stated, “What is something that a student more than likely doesn’t forget?… and it would be their cell phone.”. I do see many students around campus that are just glued to their phones so it would be nearly impossible to forget their ID if it was on it. I would like to suggest another con, what if an unknown student came to campus by having a picture of someone else’s ID on the Minga App? I also have experienced the pain of having to load up the Minga App on my phone since it takes way too long for the loading page to load up. I would also like to propose an interesting question, which is about screenshotting the ID on the Minga App. Are students allowed to screenshot their ID and just bring it up on their camera roll instead of loading the app up? Once again there are probably many students who do this as Minga has some difficulties. Is it really a student’s responsibility to pay for a temporary ID or even a hard copy just because their phone got taken away? Thank you for bringing up this interesting topic.
Nyeli Partida • Oct 20, 2022 at 11:54 am
October 20, 2022
Dear Corydon Editor,
Ten days ago on October 10, 2022, Corydon Staff member Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California heat Wave.” The humorous tease in the introductory paragraph of the article, regarding sweater weather, was a fun and engaging way to begin reading. I’ve noticed the high heat has caused many electrical grids to be overloaded, and the knowledge that both fans and air conditioners use large amounts of electricity is helpful. Coupled with the suggestions to conserve energy, as written in the article, it’s letting me infer that there will be many more blackouts and brownouts so long as the heat wave lasts. Especially for those with service animals or regular pets, as many long haired breeds like husky dogs, persian cats, and other critters with thick undercoats can’t handle the weather we are experiencing at the moment. Air conditioners are cranked up, ice is heavily used, and many veterinary trips are made. Even if not for animals, migrants, tourists, elders, children, and even California residents may also be in danger during this unprecedented heat wave. The knowledge that there will be many more in the future, as provided and written by Perez, will be vital for preparations for the next occurence. Here’s to hoping everyone drinks a lot of water and monitors their temperatures!
Sincerely,
Nyeli Partida, Grade 11
Rolo Cruz • Oct 20, 2022 at 11:53 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave”. As mentioned in the article, California’s abrupt heat wave has multiple classrooms using fans and air conditioners. Additionally, various classrooms have been using fans, but the classes remain to feel a bit stuffy and sticky. Rooms, like in the 300, are extremely hot despite the use of fans, and can drastically affect the mood of students. The immense amount of heat that we are experiencing can also impact sports that practice in hot gyms or outdoors. I couldn’t possibly imagine running or perhaps running bleachers in high degree weather. I have also realized that the heat can quickly drop to low temperatures during the evening and night, which can cause people to catch the cold and other illnesses just due to the heat being so high during the day, and as someone who walks home at times, the heat can just feel like an attack on someone. As well in classes, heat has caused me to feel extremely tired in classes as well. I also know you are not a meteorologist, but when can students begin to feel a lower temperature consistently? When can students begin to wear sweaters comfortably? Thank you for including and writing about the immense heat.
Tyler Lao • Oct 20, 2022 at 11:51 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave”. The main topic of the article is the heatwave that we in Southern California are currently experiencing. The issue of rising global temperatures is one that has been gaining ever more relevance in the last decade. Perez mentions that, “Residents have been told to conserve energy in order to avoid rolling blackouts due to the high demand for electricity. Many people have resorted to ACs and fans to remain cool, which require a lot of power”. People are trying to stay cool but are actually making the situation worse in the long term. This is a topic I am quite familiar with because I took AP Environmental Science with Mr. Cruz Cardenas, who actually makes a vocal appearance in the later parts of this article. It is mentioned that there will almost definitely be more heatwaves in the future due to our continued use of fossil fuel powered appliances. Myself and many others learned a lot about the effects that climate change will eventually have on our world as a whole, but there are still some people that don’t know what’s going on. I love that you brought this topic up because it is essential to the future of our species as a whole. Thank you for shedding some light on this controversial problem.
Zahid • Oct 20, 2022 at 11:50 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article called “California Heat Wave”. This article speaks about a record breaking heat wave in September and how it’s a “result of higher global temperatures causing warmer ocean.” I strongly agree with the article on Millikan feeling the heat. In buildings without A/C like the 400 and 300 we definitely feel it. Sometimes it would get hot to the point where we had to move to a building with air conditioning. It’s very hard to not have air conditioning on when you have it during times like this. Currently as I am typing it is 86 degrees and it is scorching hot. We would think the cold weather would kick in around October, which it did but we have gotten another little heat wave these past couple of days. But I have a question about this heat. Do ACs have a role in global warming? I’ve heard many sides on this topic but I wonder if it is true or not. If it is, do you think these heat waves are going to become even worse? I appreciate this article and the connection made about the part when stating “Fall is finally here, are you ready for sweater weather?” I was totally ready for sweater weather!
Bhree Walker (junior) • Oct 20, 2022 at 10:03 am
The article talks about how earth will experience longer and more frequent heat waves. Because of these heat waves lasting through the fall, more fans and ac are used to cool down rooms. This uses a lot of electricity, which has led to a warning of blackouts. Not only have heat waves become a worse problem for our environment, but the heatwave this year has been record breaking. I’m wondering how we can stop, or slow down, these heat waves, or what I could do myself to make a difference in the world, even if it’s small. I am also wondering what other effects the heat wave has had on earth. It has melted glaciers, and limited the survival of polar bears and other arctic life, but how else has this heat wave affected California? I’m also wondering if there is anything this school can do. I know there must be some way to keep our classrooms cool, but one school has many classrooms. That means that multiple schools are using a lot of AC and fans. Just one of my classrooms alone uses three fans. Is there a way to keep classrooms cold without using so much power? Thank you for writing this informative article, I feel very informed.
Ari Farrell • Oct 20, 2022 at 9:46 am
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled ¨California Heat Wave¨. This article focuses on California’s hottest September ever and explains that rising global temperatures are the cause. This article intrigued me as the AP Environmental Science teacher Mr. Cruz Cardenas explained that the heatwave is very similar to the information covered in that class, which I took last school year. What I believe should be added to this however is what we in California can do to help weather the storm of global warming that we’ve caused. Examples include utilizing eco-efficient fueling instead of harmful toxins like fossil fuels and other CO2 emissions, and reduction of our carbon footprints. This would help our school see what we can do to help our climate, and this gives an inside edge to anybody considering taking the AP Environmental Science course. Another thing that I wonder about is the rolling blackouts, have there actually been blackouts in our state? Are certain areas of California more vulnerable to blackouts than others? How come Long Beach hasn’t experienced any of this? Overall this was a very strong article and it was composed very well to inform the readers on an interesting topic.
Cole Jordan • Oct 20, 2022 at 9:42 am
On October 10, 2022, Alma Perez wrote an article titled California Heat Wave. This article discusses our most recent heat wave and how it was the record breaking in California. Our AP environmental science teacher was interviewed and he explains the cause of the heat wave and that there will most likely be more heat waves in the future for longer periods of time. This surprised me as I thought it was just the end of summer and normal California weather. Cruz states, “The heat wave is a result of higher global temperatures causing warmer oceans.” The global temperature continues to rise and we use more energy as a result of the increased temperature with A/Cs and Fans. This raises a few questions for me. When we use more energy to combat the extreme warmth, does this snowball and raise global temperatures even more? What is the main cause of global warming? Are there ways that we can reduce are energy use to try and reduce the increasing heat? Will we continue to have heat waves even in the supposed coldest times of the year? Thank you for the insight into why we are experiencing these extreme times of heat.
Scottie Wells, Grade 11 • Oct 20, 2022 at 9:42 am
On October 10, 2022, Alma Perez wrote an article entitled “California Heat Wave” that touched on these heat waves that residents of California have experienced lately. The main thing I got from this article is that these heat waves are serious. As stated by Alma, they are resulting from increasing global temperatures that will continue to rise. If we don’t do anything about this issue then we will be experiencing a lot more heat waves for longer periods of time. I liked that Alma was able to get this information from a credible source and not just from assumptions or the internet where some information isn’t always correct. Also, using a big name like Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, as another source was bold but admirable. Another thing that caught my eye in this article was Alma’s tone. It wasn’t too formal or boring and pretty friendly. Sometimes these kinds of writings can be hard to read because it’s not something I personally would have as my first pick but she was straight to the point and had fun with it too. Overall the article was interesting and eye-opening, so thank you.
Jason Parra • Oct 20, 2022 at 9:34 am
October 20, 2022
Dear Corydon Editor,
On October 10, Alma Perez wrote an article titled “California Heat Wave” The article mentions that while we are transitioning to the cooler months of the year, there are still plenty of heat waves occurring.The article states that california is saving energy to avoid blackouts and save energy. From my understanding of this article, not using AC is a good idea on conserving energy to avoid blackouts. Adding some other forms of conserving energy could be helpful to the audience as they might not feel inclined to turn off the AC because of record breaking temperatures. Another point mentioned in the article is that there is most likely going to be more heat waves in the future. I think adding some other ways to keep cool would help interest students as Millikan is definitely feeling the hot weather. Thank you for informing me about these record breaking temperatures.
Sincerely,
Jason Parra, Grade 11