On August 26 the band room flooded during the John’s Creek pep band game. The game was held at a two-hour delay due to a lightening threat, and the band did not return to campus until after midnight. Once the band arrived at the school, they entered the building to find the majority of the upstairs covered in an inch or so of water, and the lower level sprouting a wide puddle. Hurriedly, the ones who could stay later than the rest worked together to remove the trophies, put them in the low brass section room for the time being, and take note of any damage that was done.

Raymond Thomas, the head band director, says, “We do not know exactly what happened, or how it happened, but we believe it came from the roof.” Surprisingly, “nothing of great value was ruined” and all of the music and instruments were untouched. Kevin Kenney, assistant band director, states he “saw a puddle, and then Thomas said the upstairs was flooded.” Kenney also states that “Water happened……and it fell from the sky.” As a result, classes will still take place in the band room until the new one is finished, and practicing is still a must.

The band room flooded again on Sept. 2 when Hurricane Hermine brought massive thunderstorms throughout the metro-Atlantic area, including Forsyth County, at approximately 10:48 P.M. During the duration of the storm, the NFHS band room flooded even worse than last week’s event. The floor of the foyer was soaked from the doorway, into parts of the lab, and all the way to Thomas and Kenney’s office; bringing water inside of it as well. Lastly, the bassoon was one of the instruments caught in the flood and had to be tended to immediately. On the balcony level, the floor was sprouting puddles, and the sheet music that had been left on the floor was soaked to a level almost unsalvageable.  Luckily, some pieces were in plastic covers, so not everything was damaged. Also, the guitars were left in an area in which the water poured heavily, and caused the instruments to become severely out of tune. Lastly, the lab experienced water with a few of the computers getting wet, but luckily there was not too much damage.

Kenney has stated he has nothing to say about the matter due to the stress of attempting to find an area for the band to practice for the time being. “It’s not crippling, but it’s very inconvenient for those involved in any part of the band program”, states Drey Woodson: drum major. Thomas has also said, “the county maintenance personnel believe a clogged drain was the source of the issue”, along with the details of two plastic water bottles being found in the drain during inspection.