July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

With school starting a week before Labor Day this year, Wallingford-Swarthmore has been experiencing some of the summer temperatures during normal school season, which has interfered with school activities. Students have been having a difficult time adapting to this record-breaking heat as it continues to cause inconveniences.

On Wednesday, September 6, all after-school sports were canceled due to the heat. Recently, other accommodations have been made to continue sports practices, including moving practices indoors.

For some sports, like cross country, outdoor practice is crucial. Though they are saved from the dangerous heat, players find that the indoor practice is a threat to the performance of their ongoing season.

“As difficult as it sounds, the fact that we’re not running outside, even when it’s hot, sets us back. We could probably be slightly ahead if we were in the heat,” senior Max Kikkawa said.

While some outdoor activities have been able to move indoors, others have not been as lucky. For the Panther Marching Band, working outdoors is a necessity, and learning to tolerate the heat is a must.

“For marching band, we’ve had to bear the heat. That’s honestly not too bad if you properly hydrate… I don’t really see anyone carrying water bottles outside in marching band. And that’s very important, I think, to hydrate consistently,” Kikkawa said.

With humidity still present in the evening for the football game against Ridley on September 8, both the football team and the band had to prepare for the unusual heat, leading to some changes.

“Tonight for our game we are actually going to be completely out of uniform. We’re going to be in 12 shirts and shorts, which I can’t think of a time that’s ever happened,” senior Evan Yavor said.

Marching band director Mr. Nicholas Pignataro explains how the record-breaking summer heat affects the band in a variety of ways.

“Marching band is not designed for this heat,” Pignataro said. “It’s not designed for the rain that comes with the heat. The instruments, even if it’s just misting, we do thousands of dollars of damage. These uniforms are designed for cold weather. If we continue to start our school year in August, we’re going to have to rethink how we approach the beginning of the school year to keep everyone safe.”

Pignataro also describes how the weather has allowed staff and students to learn more about the effects of intense heat, and how it affects both learning and teaching.

“It makes the time that they’re able to focus much shorter,” Pignataro said. “It’s also helped us, though, to know what our bodies need because it forced us to do a lot of research about what humidity does, and the importance of sweat, and hydrating and eating well.”

Finally, being kind to your body in extreme heat by drinking lots of water throughout the day, staying out of the

“If it looks like lemonade, you’re fine,” Pignataro said. “If it looks like apple juice, you’re going to need to drink some more water.”