DGS officially opened in 1964 and has not undergone any major foundation renovations since that year.

With this being said, ceiling tiles in the building can sometimes become damaged or stained due to water leakage or pipe condensation; in some cases, they can be missing altogether. A conversation has been brought up among teachers, building faculty and students concerning the nature of these ceiling tiles in our building and how the damaged tiles are being addressed by DGS staff.

English teacher Christi Littell states she has noticed damaged ceiling tiles both in and around her classroom and has notified maintenance in the past.

“I am aware of the damaged ceiling tiles [both inside and outside the classroom]… the maintenance team has been working on the issue the whole time I’ve known about it… I’ve called the team to let them know of the bulging tiles filled with water and they’re super quick to come up and ask when they can repair them,” Littell said.

Supervisor of buildings and grounds Michael Reyes confirms that the condition of ceiling tiles are an administration concern that is addressed when presented. He states that being notified of these complications are a part of his maintenance practice and are always followed up on.

“As part of our normal maintenance practice, our team addresses each incident as a case-by-case situation… When alerted via work order or call to the office, ceiling tiles are a high priority item for the CMG department. Over the last few years, I have purchased many pallets of ceiling tiles to replace old ones as well as have on-hand for damages,” Reyes said.

Some students express concern about the inconveniences of damaged tiles to their friends or teachers. One of these students is junior Madeline O’Neil, who has seen them in the hallways of DGS.

“I have noticed the [damaged] ceiling tiles, and they make me feel gross and it feels like our school isn’t being taken care of…I mainly see them in the [B hallway on the third floor], but it is hard to walk by them when there are buckets underneath them draining out the water,” O’Neil said.

Reyes states that he became aware of the tiles in the B hallway and has addressed the issue as a result.

“Most recently, we were alerted of water-stained tiles in the B hallway [on the] third floor. Upon opening the ceiling we found a valve that was leaking, we took corrective actions by tightening fittings and drying it out,” Reyes said.

Sophomore Arielle Williams stated that the world languages room A210 has had a missing tile for more than a year. As a student who attends the room every school day, she shares her view on the ceiling tile’s condition and her teacher’s reaction to the damages.

“I’ve seen a removed ceiling panel in my German class [room A210]… you can see the cords falling down from it. It was there last year when I was in that same class, so it has been there for at least two years…the teacher’s pointed it out once, the teacher’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, the custodian’s going to fix it.’ But that was last year, so… [laughs],” Williams said.

Williams also expressed how she believes the damaged ceiling tiles impact the classroom environment from a student perspective.

“I don’t necessarily think they are a distraction, I just think it kind of makes the environment look not that professional,” Williams said.

Christi Littell believes the ceiling tiles are a non-issue in regards to safety. She states although water leakage from the tiles poses an inconvenience to some students, the well-being of her and her students were never put at risk by damaged tiles.

“I have never heard a student voice concern for safety about the tiles. I have had students move lest they get hit by leaks, but I am not concerned about the issue,” Littell said.

Reyes agrees that no individuals in the building are put at risk due to these damaged or removed tiles.

“Student safety is always at the forefront. To my knowledge there is no immediate danger to students and staff with these tiles.”

He also concluded the interview with a message.

“…I have treated your photos and information as a work order and have begun to address these areas of concern,” Reyes said.