This year I decided to overlook one small thing left plugged in--I call it a 4 Watt allowance. So, there might be a few more stars that were given out this time around, but I wanted to award the great effort--it makes me very sad when everything has been shut down but the TV was left plugged in, especially when the outlet for the TV is inconveniently located on the ceiling or something. Maybe it's the result of having my desk next to the person who processes workplace injury claims for the District, but I feel more strongly now that we don't want you climbing on chairs to pull a plug!
Here are the percentages of complete shutdowns by schools:
Vargas: 86%
Ellis: 80%
Columbia: 80%
Fairwood: 79%
Lakewood: 76%
Sunnyvale Mid: 76%
San Miguel: 75%
Bishop: 72%
Cumberland: 72%
Cherry Chase: 71%
Noteworthy notes by school:
Bishop: The manual thermostats in the portables seem to be the big challenge, as several were heating on their regular schedule and two were even heating on hold, which is always alarming. Still, a good effort by most folks, and I know that thermostat management is a big confusing pain.
Cherry Chase: Most of the computers were running in the computer lab--automatic schedule or just forgotten? 2 mini fridges were running, and otherwise the school was bedeviled by leaving small electronics plugged in--TVs, VCRs, CD players, However, one of the staff fridges was cleared out and shut down--bravo!
Columbia: Two portables were heating, 4 mini fridges were running (including one that was empty and one that had just gatorade) but otherwise a great effort with only a few small things left plugged in.
Cumberland: Challenged by the construction for sure as the heat was running in most of the school (this is a known issue and is being worked on and is nothing teachers have control over). Other than that things looked really good--just one mini-fridge found running and a couple of A/V carts etc. left plugged in. The end of an era has come in that the mysterious air movement that has been happening 24/7 forever in the multi-purpose/LRC/classroom complex has ceased now that the whole cluster is being remodelled.
Ellis: Only 2 out of 14 manual thermostats were found running--awesome effort! Bonus--BOTH staff fridges were shut down. The usual assorted number of things left plugged in, but not too many, and one rogue mini-fridge.
Fairwood: Two manual thermostats were running their normal schedule, but other than that just a couple of things left plugged in and a few computers that weren't shut down and resisted all efforts by me to shut them down (creepy!), so I just backed away slowly.
Lakewood: Only 2 out of what seems like a million manual thermostats (but is really only 18) were running, but my nemesis the Room 30 computer lab had most of the computers still on. I try to check the days and times on the thermsotats as I go along, and I did discover that a whole set of the older thermostats were not on the right days or times, but they were not right in the same ways, so that was interesting in an annoying way. My working theory is calendar and clock-challenged poltergeists with a sense of humor. Two renegade mini-fridges found on and a small assortment of things still plugged in.
San Miguel: A whole lab of computers was running (again, I never know if they go on and off on a schedule that never takes a holiday, or if they were just forgotten) but otherwise things were quite shut down. Best control over the small electronics of any school, and even the staff fridge was shut down. One of the temporary portables was heating (and the computers in that classroom weren't shut down either--someone was in a hurry to get out of there!) and one of those unique wall-switch-controlled fans in the A cluster was running.
Sunnyvale Middle: For some reason there were a lot of A/V projector carts left plugged in, but most other stuff was all unplugged. I did find 2 mini fridges running, but most folks got theirs shut down, so thank you!
Vargas: Awesome overall! The few mysterious things--I found three mini fridges running, one with a packet of sauce in it (I hope that's special sauce!) and one that was empty (or full of important invisible food). One portable was heating. Fantastic unplugging effort.
Thanks so much everyone for all your great effort!
I hope you are all rested and ready for 2012,
Ursula
