Gillnetter HQ under H20

The Gillnetter headquarters, along with several other classrooms on all three floors, was flooded on Saturday when a third floor ventilation pipe burst.

At least five classrooms were affected by the flooding and clean up crews worked throughout the weekend to deal with the mess.

According to Principal James Cook,  English teacher Kim Trigilio’s room suffered the most damage.

“A ventilation pipe along the wall froze over the weekend,”  said math teacher Gus Martinson. “Once it burst, it filled her room with water and dripped down into the classrooms below it. Many documents and books in the cabinets were ruined as a result.”

“On Monday morning I walked into a mess,” said Trigilio. “I was told the room was habitable, but it was not.”  

The source of the problem was a pipe in math teacher Allison Walsh’s room.

“This room has a history of being really drafty,” said Walsh. “There was ice caked under the heater during the really bad winter in 2015 and I’ve had snow come into the classroom before.”

While many of the window issues have been addressed, problems with water damage is nothing new to the students of GHS.

“In Gloucester High School, [students] have become accustomed to the issues that come up,” said Walsh.

This is the latest in a long history of water issues at GHS.  Recently, water has leaked into walls and ceilings in the science wing, and other parts of the building, which has been attributed to the condition of the roof.  

This year, health classes had to be moved due to water damage from the roof, and yoga classes and the theater department face ongoing roadblocks as a result of persistent leaks in the auditorium.

Fourteen health and safety concerns were presented to officials by Martinson and the Gloucester Teacher’s Association last year, including a push to build a new roof and gym floor which has been damaged by water. There is also a request to improve the high school’s ventilation system.  

About half of the issues have been addressed since, but according to Martinson, the ventilation system has not been addressed.

In the meantime, students can find The Gillnetter staff working in the library until the room is ready to be occupied.