An e-mail went out to the school community on October 26th, 2016, regarding a major physical change in the appearance of our school, as scaffolding would soon be constructed to surround all sides of the building. Starting in November 2016, the school community began to notice the process, which continued throughout the month. This project is all a part of a two year-long process of replacing the school’s roof.

For years, students with classrooms on the third floor have experienced the leaks that occur every time it rains and snows. According to Mr. Walter Giorgis-Blessent, who teaches in the Foreign Language wing, “the leak in Room 315 has been a problem for years. It has caused a lot of damage.”

The School Construction Authority determined that leaks such as this one required a full reconstruction of the roof, which meant that scaffolding had to be put up in order to ensure the safety of students and faculty while the project takes place.

“They thought they could do a partial fix … But when they were near completion with that, they realized that it wouldn’t be enough.”

Although there is no construction being done on the roof during school hours, the scaffolding is necessary to prevent equipment on the roof from falling to the ground.
During the 2014 spring semester, the building also underwent a construction project that required scaffolding. This was also in relation to the leaks in the building, and the School Construction Authority thought that the problem could be solved by replacing the mortar in the bricks. “They thought they could do a partial fix, which was a big project back then. But when they were near completion with that, they realized that it wouldn’t be enough, that we would actually be needing a full roof replacement,” said Ms. Phoebe Cooper,
the Assistant Principal of Organization at Bronx Science.

Many seniors have expressed their concern about the return of the scaffolding, as the 2014 project took place during their freshman year. “There was scaffolding up during my freshman year, and now it’s up again. I don’t enjoy the thought of exiting the school the way that I entered it,” said Janvi Choudhary ’17.

However, the necessary roof replacement project will be completed as quickly as possible. “As anyone who has witnessed me dealing with the construction crew knows, I have been advocating for the welfare and safety of our students and faculty at every turn, and I will make sure that when this is done, the scaffolding will come down right away. I understand what a burden it is on the students, as well as the faculty and all of the administration, to have the scaffolding up,” said Ms. Cooper.

The project will last for approximately two years, meaning that current seniors and juniors may never see the building’s facade as it has been for the majority of their time at Bronx Science.