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Playa Linda provides poolside
outing for ‘Ambiente Feliz’
Monday
September 9, 2024
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Aruba’s ONLY English newspaper
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School districts race to invest in cooling solutions as classrooms
and playgrounds heat up
By ALEXA ST. JOHN and DORANY PINEDA
Associated Press
Ylenia Aguilar raised her two sons in Ari-
zona — first in Tucson and later Phoenix,
so they're no strangers to scorching heat.
Just recently, Phoenix hit its 100th straight
day at or above 100 F (37.8 C), shattering
the record set in 1993.
She remembers scary moments "seeing
soccer kids and my own children pass out
and faint from, you know, heat-related ill-
nesses," she said. "It was seeing my sons
dehydrated." Scores of U.S. schoolyards
like hers are carpeted in heat-absorbing
asphalt, with no shade even for play ar-
eas. The buildings were often made with
wall and roofing materials that radiated
heat into indoor spaces. Kids are also more
vulnerable to heat illness than adults. Their
bodies have a harder time self-regulating in
extreme heat in part because they sweat
less, so they can become dehydrated
faster. Climate change is heightening the
risks. School closures related to heat are
becoming more frequent, according to a
report by the Center for Climate Integrity
and the firm Resilient Analytics.
Ronnie Jefferies paints the parking lot at Science, Arts and Entrepreneurship School to help cool it by making it more
Continued on Page 3 reflective, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Mableton, Ga.
Associated Press