Many of the classrooms here at Lake Forest High School don’t have windows. While this detail may seem irrelevant, lack of exposure to sunlight can actually have a very damaging impact on students.

Natural sunlight is crucial for sustaining good health health. As the winter season is already the darkest time of year, when individuals are not getting a lot of exposure to sunlight, the absence of windows in classrooms only exacerbates this problem for students. 

Spending a significant amount of the day in a room with only artificial, indoor lighting can make it harder for them to pay attention and learn.

“Working in a room with no sunlight drains my energy,” senior Julia Liebelt said. “I can tell that my work productivity is poorly affected.”

Having exposure to natural sunlight in the classroom is beneficial for students because it can improve academic performance.

Sunlight is known to increase mood, and focus, which can help with things like test concentration. In fact, a study done at the University of Illinois Department of Landscape Architecture found that students actually performed better on tests when they were in rooms that had windows compared to rooms without them. Having access to sunlight is vital in an academic setting, and can help students be more productive.

In addition to bolstering academic performance, sunlight provides many health benefits including increased vitamin D and serotonin, better sleep, and increased focus – all of which are crucial to students. Spending all, or most of your day in a room with no exposure to sunlight or the outdoors can increase your risk of developing seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD.

SAD is a form of depression that comes and goes with the winter season, and it is linked to low levels of sunlight. Classrooms with no windows have the least sunlight of all, making students who spend a lot of time in these spaces more susceptible to SAD or similar mood issues. 

Windowless classrooms do not only affect students. Teachers also experience the negative effects of having little to no sunlight exposure, and unlike students, many of them are unable to move around from class to class.

Biology teacher Leah Pranke taught in a windowless classroom for the past seven years and has moved into a room with windows this year.

“During those times [in her windowless classroom] I was less happy and I definitely noticed a decline in my mental health,” Pranke said. “This year I noticed a dramatic difference in my day with my mood.” 

Pranke also noticed a positive change in her students, and in fact, only uses natural light when it is sunny outside. This change illustrates the positive change that having sunlight in a classroom can have.

Sunlight is crucial for students and teachers here at LFHS, and for all students alike, as it has educational benefits as well as health benefits.t As we head into another cold and dark winter, we need to make sure that students are provided with adequate exposure to sunlight.