By Staff Writer, Kaulin Hooper
In the Surprise Symphony, a gigantic cymbal crash happens during the Andante.
At BHS, every musical piece seems to have its own crash—but unfortunately for band and orchestra members, this crash is not the sound of a cymbal, but the sound of one of the
ceiling tiles breaking off and falling to the ground during the middle of class.
A crumbling ceiling, a persistent water leak, and a perpetual pungent smell have left the orchestra room and choir room in shambles with everyone asking the same question:
Will it ever be fixed?
While a renovation has been planned that would move the orchestra room to a new arts wing, the move is not possible until funds become available.
“The roof of the orchestra room is in terrible condition,” said violinist Hojai Han. He went on to explain that there were many leaks last year and that, “The place smells… We had to put a trash can under the leak so that it didn’t hit anyone.”
Fellow orchestra member Jake Schlessinger agreed, stating, “The pipes would sometimes leak from the walls and ceilings while a horrible odor filled the room.” The smell reportedly comes from sulfur that is backed up in the pipes.
Larry Tomec, the Business Manager of the school district stated in an email that the problem is being addressed. He also went on to write that that, “The rooms have been an ongoing maintenance problem. We have repainted, cleaned and monitored these rooms on a continual basis. The water leakage is coming from the outside wall which was partially sealed about four years ago.”
Principal Robert Hardis described the conditions as, “Deplorable…they’re embarrassing, I think they’re well beneath the standards we set for Beachwood Schools.” “It makes rooms less functional than they should be.”
When asked about the room affecting students, Cody Swanson said, “Yes because we and Mrs. Farley might get off topic about the smell and condition of the room. We can’t practice to our full potential and be as good as we can be.”
Ultimately, a better environment would help performances. He went on to say, “We could sing better, we could blend better and not stop all the time. We’d be more prepared for performances.”
Choir teacher Carolyn Farley explained, “It’s disruptive to the students. Time is lost and it’s hard for teenagers to ignore.” But she felt that the quality of performances should not be affected by the room. Farley expressed her excitement at the prospect of renovations.
Some students have wondered whether the condition of the room creates a health hazard. Principal Hardis said, “We have been absolutely assured that there have been no safety issues or health issues.” He also said, “The air quality tests don’t reveal that there is anything unsafe.”
In order to begin any renovation or building project, the school district will first need to pass a levy, something that may be difficult in the current economic climate. In the meantime, improvement plans are in the works, the details of which are not yet available.
Business Manager Larry Tomec continued, “The Board of Education engaged an Architectural firm in 2008 (Burt Hill) to complete an engineering and educational assessment of the High School facility and develop a renovation plan to meet current and future educational needs. This plan identified the issues with the music and band rooms. The plan calls for the relocation of the music and band rooms to newly constructed space on the main level of the high school. The students and faculty will have more details of this Master Plan for the High School in October.”
