There is no secret that Mission Hills High School has experienced an onset of rain this winter, and the campus is feeling the effects of it. Many classrooms of the Sierra Hall building have complained of leakage or water damage on the roof or walls; some even reported water on their equipment.
“The room had several leaks all around the class, with water dripping in and the floor, desks and students getting wet… a few years ago the ceiling exploded, water and ceiling debris everywhere; this year it’s just dripping water,” Sociology teacher Meghan McKinney said.
This problem has seemingly been apparent and unsolved for many years, as McKinney has yet to see a more permanent solution besides a hole drilled in the ceiling to release the built-up water. The water damage causes dripping and distracts the students. It isn’t limited to the Sociology room either—other faculty members report rain becoming an issue for them as well. Counselor Cherryl Baker has seen the campus succumbing to rain in recent years.
“It wasn’t always that way… in the last year or two… there will be an occasional leak in some of our offices here in counseling,” Baker said.
Unlike McKinney however, Baker says that the custodial staff is extremely responsive, and even replaced the roofing tiles multiple times. An ongoing investigation into the roof infrastructure is underway, according to Baker, as it seems Mission Hills is beginning to show its age after 20 years. Water damage and leaking is reaching its peak where multiple rooms and faculty workers are seeing an increase in the severity of the repercussions. As it spreads and becomes more of an issue, it affects the student learning experience as well.
“It distracts a lot of the kids, because we’re always staring at the water stains on the ceiling… there are buckets or trash cans… where water leaked,” junior Mickey Brown said.
The severe weather conditions not only wear down the campus and influence the physical classroom but also interrupt the classroom experience. Both students and teachers report problems stemming from water damage that go without the same attention Baker and the counseling department gets. As the rain clouds disappear, hopefully the problem they cause fades as well.
“When it rains the moss begins to grow, and the snails love it,” Senior Isabella Reteif recounts.
