As the weather starts to warm up again, it is starting to feel more like summer, and you know what summer brings… Pools opening.

Though you might not see it on aerial maps of the building, or an access to it either, there is a pool on the roof of the building. The pool was installed when the building was built, but the swim team doesn’t practice there because it’s only an outdoor pool. After a cold, snow-filled winter, the janitors and maintenance team are working hard to get the pool back in shape in time for the summer season to open. They have their work cut out, as they need to get the chemicals back in order and remove all the leaves and branches from the water.

What students don’t know is that the rooftop pool is actually a sort of mythical landmark among the staff, only spoken about in hushed tones and brought up when a new person asks, “Is that actually a real thing?” Longtime faculty members claim that the rooftop pool was actually meant to be a “state-of-the-art aquatic enrichment zone,” though no one actually knows what that means. It is also rumored that the original plans for the pool included a waterslide, a snack bar, and a lifeguard chair modeled after the war eagle, though this was cut down to “a rectangle of water and hope.”

This year’s cleanup has been particularly rigorous. After months of winter storms, the pool currently has what experts are calling “a shocking percentage of the surrounding fields.” One maintenance worker described the water as “less like a pool and more like a nature documentary.” Another worker claimed that he saw a squirrel trying to build a raft. Students walking past the building have reported hearing unusual sloshing sounds coming from above, though this could be attributed to many things, including the wind or, as one freshman claimed, “the ghost of a lifeguard who never clocked out.” Despite this, the maintenance team remains hopeful that the pool will be sparkling clean in time for summer, though no particular time has been specified.