The Trenton Times published the following article on January 9, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
Students left in cold when boiler breaks at Trenton middle school
By Mike Davis/The Times
on January 09, 2014 at 7:50 AMTRENTON — A bitter cold day got colder for some elementary students this week after their school’s heating system broke down on the coldest day of the year.
One of two boilers at Rivera Middle School failed on Tuesday morning, leaving students and their teachers wearing coats and jackets in cold classrooms.
School principal Bernadette Trapp said the boiler system failed overnight but was quickly repaired by technicians before students entered the school.
“Then, it was just a matter of time until the heat could get through the building,” Trapp said yesterday. “It’s an old system. That’s how things go with old systems.”
As they waited for the North Montgomery Street school to warm up, teachers were given the option to switch classrooms or combine with other classes in warmer rooms, district spokeswoman Kathy Smallwood-Johnson said.
Despite the last-minute changes, the teachers were able to keep curriculum and lesson plans on track, she said.