On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, Seniors Aubrey Hutchins and Reese Koepke were found frozen to death on the floor of Stoughton High School’s lunchroom. Hutchins was found in the large cafeteria, while Koepke was found closer to the lunch line in the smaller cafeteria. Both autopsies showed that all plasma, lymphatic fluid, and intracellular fluid in their bodies was frozen solid.
“[Before], I witnessed her shivering, and she had icicles hanging from her face because she was so cold,” Hutchins’ friend, Gracie Spencer, said.
Spencer recalls how often Hutchins would complain about being cold, especially in the cafeteria, which she says is the coldest room in the school.
“[Mrs. Fisher’s] room too. […] Her room is like, 15 degrees,” Spencer said.
Hutchins’ fate was caused by her failure to follow one of the most known school-wide norms: wear a jacket. This act saved Spencer from ending up a “popsicle,” as she described Hutchins.
“If I put [a coat] on in the morning, then I’ll usually keep it on throughout the whole day[…] I have Lifetime Fitness first hour, so it can get pretty hot, ” Spencer said.
Stoughton High School is notoriously cold. Even with the district’s help, like when break times were implemented in December to allow students to go outside to warm up, the problem persists. How far will our school go without turning up the heat? This question is louder than ever after the premature deaths of 2 of our very own students.
Koepke and Hutchins were both beloved members of the SHS girls softball team, with Hutchins as the manager and Koepke as the shortstop. The students of SHS have not let their deaths be in vain.
A protest occurred last week, on Monday, April 15, in which all students took off their jackets and coats to force the school to push the thermostat into a number with at least more than one digit. However, this event was quickly cut short when the school chose instead to turn on the air conditioning a few months too early. Students bundled up before severe damage could occur, but there were many reports of minor frostbite to the school nurse that day.
However, amongst all of the chaos and icicles, there sits a haven of what seems to be almost body temperature: the classroom of Julie Lynch.
The beloved Language Art teacher was seen just a few days ago walking into the building in short sleeves, and when curious students went to investigate, they discovered the rainforest-like air of her classroom. When asked about it, Lynch seemed to deflect the question of how she does it.
“Every day, when I come into my room, it’s like I am going into the bowels of hell. Literally. Flames, sweat… some days I truly feel like I am in hell,” Lynch said.
The temperature of her room had seemingly had some effect on her health and mental well-being. Even then, she believed it was better than the rest of the school.
“Everybody else is in their rooms with their coats and their hats on, but I feel like I’m in Bermuda on a beach, and the world is just passing by,” Lynch said.
As if the cold wasn’t enough, new issues have arisen in response to the frosty air. At least three times a week, a student is suspended for vaping. However, because of the sudden unexpected spike in vaping cases, authorities warranted an investigation within the school, in hopes of finding a new seller or supplier who was spiking the trend. After the investigation, it was concluded that all indicted students were innocent: their breath was visible enough in the air that it was mistaken regularly for a vape cloud.
In the end, the students of SHS can only hope that someday Aubrey and Reese will get justice and that their deaths may spark a movement to improve the conditions of those still alive.