While they might have played “reporter” when they were kids, no Flucos expected to play that game again when they arrived for school on Dec. 5.  At the sound of an unexpected fire alarm, students and staff were evacuated outside where they stood for almost two hours, shivering and wondering whether the school was back on or off for the day.

Once students and staff were safely outside, four fire trucks arrived on the scene. Then the rumors started.  Students with classes on the fourth floor were reporting water, black smoke, and a musky smell. Many students took to Twitter and Facebook to figure out what was going on…and take part in this major school news story.

For example, senior Heather Hicks tweeted a photo of the fire trucks as they arrived on the scene, while freshman Ryan Douglas posted photos of fire personnel and waiting students waiting. It was like having 1500 instant reporters on the scene, to the point that when former student Kayla Johnson posted, “What’s going on at the high school?” on Facebook, she got a flurry of quick (if not entirely accurate) responses from students.

Once everything had settled and everyone was allowed back in the building, it was discovered that there had been a sprinkler malfunction in Mr. Jimmy Small’s room.  “A center sprinkler went off, causing a deluge of water to pour from the ceiling,” Small said.

The first to report from the scene were janitors Doug Tanner, Herbert Adams, and Gerald Martin.  “It was almost as if it was raining in the school,” said Adams.  There was a great deal of water for them to clean up: Over 1500 gallons showered down through Small’s room, all the way to the first floor. The water soaked students’ backpacks, school work, and even ruined a few students’ cell phones.  “My phone had water damage,” said sophomore Elaysha Booker.  Mr. Small lost textbooks and personal belongings, such as historical books and memorabilia.

The damage extended even further than Mr. Small’s room, seeping to the teacher workroom in the 3500 hallway and then all the way down to the band room on the first floor.

The band room had one spot, two feet long and wide, leaking water onto some of the keyboards, which got ruined.  “Luckily, staff was able to move most equipment out of the room before any more water damage could be done.  Unfortunately, in the process, one guitar was dropped and broken,” said band teacher Mr. Stickler.

Thanks to the water damage, Mr. Small’s room has been completely stripped.  All of the floor, desks, chairs, and even some drywall, have been removed.  As a result, Small and his students were relocated for the rest of the semester. Hopefully, the room will be ready to be reoccupied when students return Jan. 6.

So what about all those rumors of a fire? Although students smelled smoke and saw black debris, it was only cement in the pipes that came out before the water.  There was no fire, but the water alone caused much damage and interrupted class time and lunches.  So while the sprinkler malfunction may have been an opportunity to play “reporter for a day,” it’s probably not an experience most Flucos will hope to repeat.