Earlier this month, the LMSD school board voted 7-2 in favor of reopening the LM pool nearly 9 months after the facility was shuttered due to the novel coronavirus. At the December board meeting, many community members expressed safety concerns with returning to the pool. Others noted that the pool had not been clean nor monitored since March which caused concerns about cleanliness within the facility. Despite chlorine issues, the LM custodial staff worked diligently to ensure that the pool was safe for team tryouts on December 9.
During the freshman and sophomore tryouts, adventurous swimmers noted that there was a mysterious crate at the bottom of the pool. Dhavo Wowma ’24 described being the first to notice the crate, “I jumped into the deep end of the pool and looked down. The crate was just sitting there. It was the size of a large toddler!” Multiple members of the varsity swim team dove to the bottom and collaboratively pulled it onto the deck. Swimmers and spectators first noticed printed labels on each side of the box that read “Biohazard. Caution.” So, like any curious person, they pried open the boxes under careful supervision from the coaching staff. Inside, the swimmers discovered 102 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and a handful of unused needles.
Shocked swimmer Piplup Go ’23 reminisced on seeing the contents of the crate, “When I saw the vaccines, I wanted to ball up and cry. It was simply a magical experience.” The moment was emotional for many of the students and staff who watched the discovery of the crate. Go noted that the crate could have been found sooner, “It’s a shame that it took nine months to find the antidote for the [COVID-19] virus.” Others echoed Go’s sentiments describing frustration about not discovering the vaccines sooner. Sydnay Zillow ’23 said, “Perhaps this whole pandemic could have been avoided if we were allowed to use the pool sooner.” The swim team is glad to be back in the pool to start their winter season and ecstatic that they could make a difference in the fight against COVID-19.
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