Samantha Cellucci ’26 | Quinn McHale ’26
Students walking through the campus center this school year may have noticed new flooring, carpeting, and dry walls on the second floor of the Crawford Campus Center. Over the summer, the seemingly exceptional campus underwent an abrupt renovation in spite of no flaws. The cause of this: a burst pipe that wreaked havoc throughout the entirety of the department.
As the first days of school rolled around, there was no trace of the damage. However, the renovations were no easy fix. Dr. TJ Locke, Greville Haslam Head of School, points out, “[The maintenance team] came on the day of the flood very quickly which was amazing considering how many people were here cleaning up.”
David Sigel, Head of the Arts Department, explains, “The pipe bursting caused damage and took days to clean up, but the Operations team worked tirelessly to restore and put back the campus center.” Locke adds, “without the maintenance team, the flood could have affected Episcopal with additional issues.” Sigel continues, “When our students came back, they [did] not even know that this major event happened.”
Although the flooding damaged numerous artworks and equipment, some feel that it has brought new opportunities to the art facilities. Jim Erwin, Head of the Choir and Music Department, states, “The [old] carpet I had…was replaced with a vinyl rug so acoustically it sounds a lot better for the choir and has noticeably improved our classes.”
Sigel comments, “the Arts Department was not here as it happened over the summer.” He, among other department heads, “came back only having to restock and put away materials rescued and having to order new supplies damaged or destroyed by the flooding.”
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Hutchinson
Some students also hold a positive outlook on the situation. Clementine Clifton ’26, a member of the Choir and Vocal Ensemble, says, “When we practice in the choir room, we sound a lot better.” Clifton attributes these acoustics to “the new floor, innovatively chosen by Mr. Erwin. I like it much better than the carpet.” Erwin highlights other additions to the choir room: “A grand piano that was ruined also be replaced by a Steinway Grand [Piano].” In Erwin’s perspective, “the flood was really a blessing in disguise.”
Other than the new choir room flooring, there is little to no trace of the flood. Noticing the remainder of the flood is a difficult task because of the terrific repair job the EA staff did. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of EA’s maintenance team, our student body was able to have a seamless transition into the new school year.