Room 501, the instrumental music classroom, underwent repair from Feb. 22-23 to repair the ceiling that has been prone to rain leakage since the school first opened in 1999.
The leak was caused by the initial design and construction of Room 501, which made it unable to withstand heavy rains, according to Northwood plant manager Ernie Medina. Even after patching up the seams on the roof, it remains unclear whether these repairs will stop the leak entirely.
“In this last round of storms that were really strong, we noticed some of the water was coming in and soaking into the ceiling tiles and so a few of the ceiling tiles were actually peeling off,” Instrumental music director Ben Case said. “Being an old building, these things come up and we’re seeing it more now because things are starting to wear out.”
Students say that the leak has been an inconvenience as they have had to make accommodations to protect their instruments, especially string instruments that face the risk of water damage.
The Northwood custodial staff and students take preemptive steps to prevent damage ahead of storms including moving instruments from under leaky spots, placing trash bins to collect water and shifting the seating arrangement towards the back wall on rainy days, according to Case.
“In general, the leak was more of a nuisance because of all the buckets in 501,” violinist junior Ellie Guo said. “I’m glad the leak is fixed now for obvious reasons since it’s been an issue almost every rainy season.”
If the leak restarts, the maintenance department asks that students inform custodial staff who can bring in additional repair services to take care of the issue.
“Now that the leak is fixed, I feel grateful for those who worked to fix it so quickly and doing so in rather harsh conditions,” bass and euphonium player senior David Gima said. “Rehearsing without fear of water dripping onto my instruments allows me to focus on my contribution to my ensembles and truly immerse myself in the musical experience.”
The maintenance department plans to replace the entire ceiling with new tiles, and site modifications are planned for Northwood as a whole in years to come.
