Wareham High School’s gym roof has been leaking for too long. Students have had enough with this issue. The administration seems to be getting fed up as well.

Girls volleyball has already been affected. Games have been rescheduled, and even moved, due to the rain. This is not only inconvenient, but also takes away the sense of home-court advantage.

When asked if any actions have been taken to fix the problem, Wareham High School Principal Scott Palladino said, “About 1,000-2,000 patches have been put on the roof, with that being the most the administration can do at this point. It’s embarrassing. With the money, the gym could be fixed in a week.”

A vote for a debt exclusion, which would have temporarily increased property taxes to pay for the roof repair, lost 1,401 to 979 at the ballot this past summer.

At Town Meeting coming up on Monday, October 22, registered voters have a chance to vote on this issue again, but this time the vote will be to borrow or transfer money from town funds to pay for the repair.

Student sports fans such as the Blue Typhoon (a dedicated group of basketball fans who wear blue and show support at every game) love basketball, and want it to be played in their gym. Cancellations or changes of locations for games will not please students, parents, and local basketball enthusiasts.

A student-petition to fix the roof has been circulating Wareham High School. A total of 230 students have signed it, and more are expected to before Town Meeting. Students Charlemya Erasme and Nicole Nault presented the petition to the School Committee on October 3. While this presentation was well-intended, they were just preaching to the choir.

Right now it seems like people in the town who are not involved in the school do not care. Everyone needs to help and just get the problem solved. If the town does not step up this time, the students and faculty will need to do even more.

To raise money, there could be donation jars at sporting events. Or there could be a school fundraiser that goes toward the roof.

It may be hard to raise $110,000 on our own, but the roof needs to be fixed.

Tyler Ancahas is a student at Wareham High School.