Research shows bad lighting can cause students to have trouble focusing and even impact their self-esteem. LHS custodians Bill Ludwig and Henny Rodriguez are adamant about changing LHS’s lighting not only for the students’ benefit in the classroom, but also to update the high school’s interior.
“Lighting has been an ongoing issue in many schools, [and] with the building being over 100 years old, there’s always something to be repaired– especially the lights,” said Ludwig. “Although studies show natural light is beneficial, there’s only so much building space we have,” he remarked. According to The Conversation website (theconversation.com/us), LED lights are a lot more efficient and last much longer than fluorescent lights. Although LED lights are much better quality and last longer, they are initially significantly more expensive than fluorescent lighting.
Rodriguez added his thoughts on school lighting: “I feel that if changing the school lighting benefits the students academically, it is something we should consider. It is always good to improve things. We should make everything LEDs, so it looks more natural. If natural light does truly improve academic skills of students, we should maybe invest in a skylight.” Overhead lighting ricochets, meaning the light bounces off surfaces and creates a glare. It can interfere with a student’s ability to fully focus on the assignments. A survey on The Conversation website said that the general brightness of fluorescent lighting negatively impacts one’s ability to remain alert and awake. Also, according to the Make Great Light website (www.makegreatlight.com), a 2011 survey also showed florescent light emitted UV radiation that is harmful to the eye.
Sophomore Shameen Pirzada shared her thoughts on how school lighting affected her self-esteem and perception: “Personally, the school lighting has lowered my self-esteem significantly. It makes me look dull and dead. My friends agree with me when I say this. For me to work well, I need to know that I look neat and presentable.” Fluorescent lighting can be truly damaging to one’s self-esteem, especially when they are striving to be productive in a work setting. The saying “You have to look good to feel good” is completely true. Sophomore Sarah Kytolar also spoke on how school lighting affects her self-esteem: “I think the lighting in the school is very bright, which can make it hard to focus, especially so early in the morning when students are waking up. Not only that, but it also tremendously lowers my confidence as it is extremely bright and illuminate’s things like acne and blemishes.” In short, school lighting needs to change.
