Keeping a classroom on task can be difficult when the roof is leaking. Lessons are interrupted; students’ focus strays, and leakage can cause structural concerns about the building. Faculty and students at Duran South Junior High School are familiar with the feeling.

Duran South has been facing these problems for over a year. The leaks have ranged in severity, some even causing interior ceiling tiles to crumble and fall.

“Imagine coming into your classroom and immediately having to deal with a major leak,” Duran South Principal Cory O’Neal said. “That’s not what we want for our students to endure at school. We’re looking forward to not having that problem anymore.”

The solution comes in the form of an entirely new roof. The Pell City Board of Education began the project in October and is expected to be complete it this month.

According to Pell City School System Facilities Supervisor Gary Mozingo, having a building with a flat roof makes ceilings highly conducive to leaks, because water sits stagnant on the roof for extended periods of time. The new roof is pitched, eliminating that issue.

Upkeep to school facilities is essential to a student’s learning experience, Pell City School System Superintendent Michael Barber said. He believes that creating a comfortable learning environment for students is a major responsibility of the Board of Education.

“Since 1955, that building has been used nonstop,” Barber. “You have to take care of where you educate children.”

For many, Duran South represents more than a junior high school. The school building held its place in the community before the Pell City School System was even in existence.

“Before the split with county schools (1982), that building was a county high school,” Barber said. “It’s part of our heritage, and lots of people have an emotional connection to it.”

Barber hopes to instill that same connection to the school in the current seventh graders who attend Duran South. Barber said he embraces having a community that embraces schools.

The roof is the biggest of recent improvements at the school, including a new freezer, paving work and several cosmetic projects.

As roof repairs began, the interruptions to daily life inside the school were kept to a minimum. There were a few instances where gym class had to be moved, or noisy machines were operated directly outside classroom windows. But all in all, the faculty has a positive outlook regarding the renovation.

“There were times where it would get a little noisy around here,” O’Neal said. “But that was nothing our students couldn’t overcome.”

O’Neal believes the benefits of the new roof will outweigh the difficulties of undergoing a renovation with 283 students walking the halls. The roofing that is already installed is a drastic improvement over its predecessor, in the principal’s opinion.

The new roof is an off-white color, offsetting the red brick of the building, and measures 42,000 square feet.

“At the end of the day, everything we do is for our students,” O’Neal said. “We are all really excited to see the finished project and continue working to better our school.”