By Rose Lipner, Community Editor

At the end of last year, you walked out of the homey Shalhevet building on Fairfax. After a summer of sun and relaxation, you will enter the bright green and orange hallways of Shalhevet JCC. Up three flights of stairs, you will find classrooms without air conditioning and hallways without lockers—so it’s up to you. How are you going to survive?

1. It’s getting hot in here so… buy a fan. Whether from Boaz Willis’ selection or from Amazon, purchase a small, handheld fan. The windows in the classrooms definitely will not give you enough air for those stuffy classrooms.

2. Heat will make you thirsty…keep water with you. There is just one water fountain on the 3rd water. Make sure to bring a water bottle to school so that you can quench your thirst.

3. Even though those sandals are super cute…wear comfortable shoes. Instead of just walking from classroom to classroom, you will need to walk up and down three flights of stairs—multiple times a day. Wear sturdy shoes & get those legs working!

4. Keep it light…leave the books you don’t need at home. If you don’t have math on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, don’t bring your textbook those days. Without lockers, you will need to keep most of what you bring to school in your backpack. So plan the night before to avoid having a super-heavy backpack.

5. Slow down…wait until people are out the door and out of the hallways. Things will be super cramped in that small hallway after each period. Hold up to finish your work, talk to your teacher and wait one or two minutes until everyone else has gotten to his or her class.

6. Take a walk… scope out the JCC. Find the vending machines, bathrooms, and teacher’s rooms in order to orient yourself with the area and be as comfortable as possible.

7. If you can’t live without your morning Starbucks… plan to leave the house an extra 25 minutes early. You will need time to purchase and wait for your drink and then walk the 10 minutes to the JCC. Or, turn your precious Starbucks into an after-school treat instead.

8. Don’t be shy… say hi and smile. At the JCC, there are lots of non-Shalhevet people — like preschool students, exercising seniors and working adults. Instead of avoiding them, smile, introduce yourself and learn their names. No one knows the future, but school in the JCC may last less than a year.