Students, staff recover from Oct. burst pipes

On Oct. 30, 2023, Oswego High School experienced unexpected flooding from broken pipes. Temporarily, 15 classrooms and 13 offices were relocated to other areas of the building to conduct classes and professional work, according to an email from Principal Chris Grays. 

On the day of the burst pipes, custodial staff acted immediately and spent the day cleaning up the water and repairing what was damaged. Fans were put up in the school and damaged ceiling tiles were removed.

Further into the school week, when students returned from remote learning, some teachers from the upper floor were moved to teach in the LRC. Teachers that were moved included several EL staff members, Tim Taviani, Erin Watson, Sandra Cook, and Jennifer Musilak. This relocation lasted for about five days in most areas. 

“[My] first reaction was ‘oh my gosh,’ because I was there at 6:50 [[…]] so the hallways were not blocked off yet. I saw all the water in the hallway, then [in] my classroom. It wasn’t safe because of all the computers in Taviani’s room. I was told to go down to the cafeteria,” Watson said.

Taviani also shares his experience seeing the flood in the hallway, his room, and office.

“I was completely surprised. I saw the water in the hallway first and was hoping for the best in my room. That was not the case. My room looked like a pool that was not quite drained. Then my reaction turned into something like, ‘This can’t be happening!’ and ‘What are we going to do to try to hold a day of class?’ Other important questions entered my mind too, like ‘Where should I put my lunch?’ since the office looked like a pond,” Taviani said.

Both teachers were surprised at the mess in the hallway and classes. The flood water was described as high, spreading across most of the floor in the hallway. Both were told to move to the cafeteria like other students and staff members.

“My concern was mold developing over time. I hope they properly handled the cleanup because I will work in that classroom for another 25 years and don’t want my health to be affected,” Watson said. 

Long-term effects of this flood could affect a staff member’s health. Rooms were cleaned up effectively and teachers will stay safe.

“[The] worst thing was having to clean everything after. Wiping down computers and all the dust the cleaning of the carpets brought. It could have been worse, though, as [[…]] all the electrical for our computers [were] okay,” Taviani said.

Concerns about cleaning and keeping everything safe were a big concern for both teachers. This included health concerns and preventing electrical equipment from being in the water. Materials were a smaller concern since they were replaceable. 

“It’s all just stuff; we can replace that. It was just a matter of getting everything cleaned and dried out,” Watson said.

Materials were not a concern when the water was spread out. Watson makes a point that it’s just things that people can replace. Concern was geared towards the safety of students and staff members, along with electronics.

“I only lost a Tom Petty poster that had fallen off the wall into the swamp. Not a big deal,” said Taviani.

“I think they did everything they could given the time and the circumstances. Hanging out with Mr. Mundsinger in the LRC was great,” Watson said, “[so] yes, it was handled well.  Given these experiences that no one sees coming, what are we going to do? I thought getting students home for remote learning was needed.”

“It was fun for the first few days, then it got old. [It was] too loud, which meant that four classes being taught in the same room [were] loud. Everyone behaved, but it was still overstimulating,” Watson said.

Watson’s LRC space was the most open, and it was also the most vulnerable to noise and disturbance from other people.

“For the following days, I thought I had it a little better than others as I took over the lab in the LRC like a classroom. I was able to project work like always. Students were good about it too.  Hanging around Mr. Mundsinger isn’t all that bad either,” Taviani said.

According to both teachers, the actions and precautions the school took, from relocation to remote learning, were the right idea. Both agreed it was the right course of action, even if some classes were moved into the LRC to fix damages. This event was unexpected and swiftly handled by custodial staff.