Union Leader

The facilities director of a charter school in Dover credits installation of an air purifying system with remaining open for hybrid learning this past fall.

Theresa Lorvig, who is also a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher, said that at Seacoast Charter School teachers have a lot of say in what happens because it is run like a democracy.

A task force was formed last summer to discuss how the 50,000-square-foot school, which has about 300 students from kindergarten to eighth grade and uses an arts-integrated approach to teaching, could reopen.

“The air quality was hugely important in their confidence of coming back,” Lorvig said of the teachers.

Lorvig said distributor M2 Mechanical in Exeter was the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration company the school chose to install the iWave system, and they have been happy with the results.

Combined with other safety measures, the school has had only one case of COVID-19 exposure.

“From a facilities perspective, the air definitely smells better,” Lorvig said. “Both parents and staff have commented that including the iWaves in our safety plan gives them peace of mind.”