The current Owatonna High School has seen over the past couple years, with a recent incident in a teachers room. On Feb. 20, a room in upper A plaza experienced a water leakage in the ceiling. As summer is just a couple months away, so is the completion of the new Owatonna High School. Over the years, the school has seen numerous renovations due to its problems.

The room’s primary occupant, social studies teacher Mr. Alek Prafke said, “The ceiling above the tiles absorbed a bunch of water over the last couple of weeks, and they collapsed. I walked in on a Monday morning and there was tile on my floor.” The aftermath of the fiasco left water soaked carpet floors causing an odd aroma.

Mr. Prafke said, “The tile on the floor smelled like a dirty puddle. It was very strange.”There could be other spots around the room that would hold water as well, leading to small leakage.”

Mr. Prafke is no stranger to these events, as a similar event occurred a couple years prior. Mr. Prafke said, “In my room, something like this would happen a couple years ago, It kind of rained inside, where water would drip down the side of the wall.”

This is a common issue that the school has seen during recent years.

The problems faced around the school are not limited to just water leakage- but also the state of the bathrooms.

Senior Aaron Bissonette said, “There would be moments where I would walk into the bathrooms, and there would be no stall doors and the urinals would be missing.”

With the new high school opening next fall, returning students are excited, as they are hoping there will be no issues surrounding loose tiles and having their bathrooms locked for maintenance all the time. Likewise, Mr. Prafke, who is optimistic about the new high school, is looking forward to a new room.

Mr. Prafke said, “It’s going to be a different change for sure. It has taken me nine years to walk these hallways, and I still don’t know where everything is. A new building will be tough to adjust to but I’m excited to see what it will look like.”

With the collapse of the ceiling, Mr. Prafke is still currently teaching in his room, but the tile has yet to be replaced.Due to the fact OHS will be moving, most of the building deterioration will be left alone.