Roof Opening Soon!

It all started in early 2020, when the ceiling on the fifth floor collapsed onto the staircase during school hours. The ceiling collapsed mainly due to the age of the building (which, at the time, was around 87 years old.) Luckily, the fallen debris didn’t harm anyone, but as a result of this incident, the entire fifth floor—including the roof—was closed off until it was deemed safe enough for students to enter.

When the pandemic hit and it was announced that students were to leave Masterman for two weeks, everybody cheered, not realizing that they wouldn’t return to the building until over a year later. During this long gap of time when COVID, racism, and political division rampaged, a place of fun and relaxation like the roof was sorely missed.

For the 2021-2022 school year, students were finally allowed to re-enter the building, and many were hopeful that they would return to their beloved roof during lunch. As luck would have it, the students were hit with yet another obstacle! Not only were there plans to renovate the roof, but there were also construction workers actively working on renovations. As a result, the roof was closed off … yet again. But this is soon to change. When recently speaking to Tyler, one of the workers, he revealed some exciting information: the roof is scheduled to open on April 10, 2022!

The redesigned roof will look very different, with everything being upscale. The once asphalt basketball court with rims devoid of nets will be changed into a regulation-sized domed basketball court with a hardwood floor. This will not only allow for more fun during lunch, but also more spaces for sports teams, since baseball, softball, badminton, and volleyball are all vying for a place in the gym right now. The room next to the courts is also being heavily modified, as the ping-pong and foosball tables will be upgraded to full-sized tennis courts and soccer fields. Finally, the once small garden made by the community team will now be a full blown greenhouse garden with new native plants, flowers, and even some trees!

You might be questioning where all this space came from. After all, the roof is the same size as all of the other floors at Masterman. When asked, the construction workers said that their motto was “pretend like it’s Minecraft—just add on blocks wherever you can, whenever you can, because you can.”

The newly created area allotted space for more than just the modification of previous features. The new-and-improved roof will have plenty of new features, which the workers are excited to share. A major addition was the introduction of both a pool and jacuzzi. The pool is 15x30 feet in area, and reaches a depth of 8 feet. The jacuzzi is 9 feet long and 7 feet wide, although only about 3 feet deep. High schoolers will be able to relax in both areas from 2:40 to 3:20 P.M, while middle school students will be allowed from 3:30 to 4:10 P.M. Teachers will also be able to use the facilities, both before and after school. The new plans also include an arcade for kids who don’t want to go outside. Right now, the arcade only has two machines— a car racing game and a street fighter game—but there are hopes that more will be added as its popularity grows. At the beginning of each week, students will be given five tokens, and each round of a game costs one coin, to prevent overuse. Last but not least, there will be a bungee jumping zone where students can jump from the roof to the patio on a trampoline, because everyone’s thought about it at some point. For those who want a safer way down, the new roof will also feature a rock climbing wall— which will also be utilized to get back up. All in all, the new additions to the roof will feature something for everyone.

This is a great gift to Masterman, as everyone had to adjust to the “new normal” of having in-person school during an active pandemic, avoiding one of history’s deadliest viruses while still keeping up with their rigorous studies. As everything slowly returns to normal, students will once again be able to go on the roof during lunch. The roof will be open for all uses, whether it be to talk, study, run around, or just gaze at the skyscrapers. The revamped features along with the new additions should make the roof a hotspot during lunch, as everyone will want to check it out. But, how much have the sights of the skyscrapers changed? Will the talks and the gossip still have the same feel to it? Will people give their tokens to their friends to hog the arcade all period? Will basketball and four square be just as fun without everyone around? Only time will tell.