Turns out OM has a pool after all

It’s long been a joke here at OM that there’s a pool in the basement, but until recently, that’s all it was, “a joke.” However, with the recent OM pipe burst, a whole part of the school was uncovered, along with a stairwell that leads to a pool complete with a classroom believed to be part of an old swim course for PE. The pool was completely empty and almost perfectly preserved due to lack of light. With the pipe burst and subsequent discovery of the basement, it’s ultimately up to Mr. Yarn to decide if he wants to allow OM to reopen the basement. It would involve a remodeling of his room and a new hallway being put up to lead down to this basement. Student outcry for this discovery has mostly been quiet, but the few who are vocal on the discovery, have expressed how excited they are that OM might be getting its basement back and maybe getting an in-school pool.

Additionally, the pool would be the responsibility of OM’s PE staff who might not be open to having a new thing to manage. Since this pool has been non-functional for decades, any attempt to get this pool running again will be costly, with the added requirement of making this basement functional and “safe” for students.

It is believed that with the discovery of this basement, there will be a new look at OM from the county, shifting the focus on the school from fixing the HVAC and other renovation problems the school has, to understanding how the school lost an entire basement and what are the next steps in rectifying this.

All of this is planned to start this summer and we should know by fall 2024 what the county’s plans for this basement are. As a senior, I’m surprised this basement hasn’t been found earlier and I’m saddened to know I will never see the OM basement reopen. Hopefully, all the new underclassmen coming to OM get to enjoy it before they graduate. Throughout my time here, it’s been expressed that people wish OM was a two-floor school and it turns out we have been all this time.

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Happy April Fool's Day!🦂