Renovations to the high school pool have been underway since early summer, bringing the facility its first full update in school history. The project, which touches nearly every part of the facility, is expected to be completed by late December 2025.

According to Athletic Director Dr. Brian Guilfoyle, the renovation is extensive.

 “Almost all surfaces in the pool are being redone,” Guilfoyle said. “The only thing remaining is the tile in the pool, which is being regrouted.”

The pool walls were stripped and repainted, and new lighting has been installed, an upgrade Guilfoyle called “amazing.” The deck will also look completely different, transitioning from traditional tile to a textured poured-epoxy surface. The roof has new insulation and drainage, along with a fresh coat of paint.

The renovation also focuses on accessibility and safety.

 “We installed a new elevator for ADA compliancy and added a restroom on the observation deck,” Guilfoyle said. “There will be new starting blocks, and the viewing area will have a new glass railing instead of the old iron railing.”

While the pool area is receiving a full transformation, the swim locker rooms will remain largely untouched.

 “The locker rooms were not part of the scope of the project,” Guilfoyle said. He noted that bond funding did not include money for new pool locker rooms, although part of the boys’ showers was rebuilt because the new elevator required additional space. The last renovation of the swim locker rooms took place in the early 2000s. Junior Charlie Sicking explained that the renovation has forced the swim team to relocate practices to various off-campus sites. 

“We were practicing at Principia, Crestview, and Westminster. We weren’t practicing at school or right after classes ended, which was different.” Sicking said. Practices shifted later into the afternoon—3:45 p.m. on most weekdays, 2:50 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays.

Sicking said the later practices came with some unplanned challenges. 

“People were late to practice a lot at the start of the season,” he said. 

Still, Sicking is optimistic about what’s coming. 

“I’m looking forward to better blocks to dive off of and nicer flooring around the pool,” Sicking said.

Other swimmers are facing even tougher adjustments. As the girls’ swim season starts, junior Amelia Mihai has had to be practicing at Parkway North, which she described as “kind of tough since it’s farther away and harder to get to.”

Mihai added that the new practice times is the biggest change.

 “Practices start really early at 5 a.m. every day, so it’s definitely an adjustment trying to wake up that early,” she said. “Before, we only had morning practices three times a week. Now my mornings feel a lot more rushed.”

According to Mihai, the demanding schedule is both helpful and exhausting.

 “I think it’ll help me get used to waking up early, but it’s also going to make my schedule a lot busier and leave me more tired during the day.” Mihai said.

Even with the challenges, Mihai is excited for the finished result. 

“The pool definitely needed an update,” she said. “I just hope the renovations don’t take the whole season so we can get back to normal.”

The pool renovation is just one part of the facility update happening across the school campus.

 “We are having six of our locker rooms renovated over the course of the school year,” Guilfoyle said. “The two locker rooms near Gym B are expected to be completed later this month. Renovations to the weight-room locker room and the girls’ PE locker room are scheduled for spring, followed by the basketball locker rooms near Gym A. New bleachers for Gym A are also planned for installation over the summer.”