After a long fought 2015-2016 undefeated season by the Columbia High School Girl's Swim Team, the South Orange-Maplewood School District intends to shut down and dismantle our pool to “repurpose the space” as soon as this fall.  The resurgence of Columbia High School swimming over the last ten years has earned accolades that range from Essex County and New Jersey State swimmers and coaches of the year as well as individual state champions and scholarshipped, collegiate swimmers at the likes of Cornell and Harvard. This tragedy jeopardizes our continuing this legacy, but also endangers thousands of lives a year. The sudden closing of the pool will end physical education swimming instruction for freshmen students who- prior to enrollment- struggle immensely in the water. With a national average of 3,000 drowning fatalities a year, Columbia High School actively provides us with a chief survival skill. In opposition to the district’s short-sighted budgetary solution, there are revenue oriented solutions. If the district were to keep the pool in working order, our community could have access to the possibilities of year-round swim lessons and lap swimming; the South Mountain YMCA could broaden activity options - in lieu of the absence of their pool – as well as the number of lifeguard training courses; and our towns’ recreational departments could continue their summer offerings and training classes as well. All of these could be held at the Columbia High School pool, not only further instilling a sense of community, but providing employment opportunities and a life skill to those who need it. We may not be a traditional revenue based sport or facility, but the innovation encouraged and enhanced by our time in the South Orange-Maplewood School District surely justifies the continued support of an architectural gem and a highly decorated sport. In the 2015-2016 season, alone, more than twenty swimmers qualified and represented CHS at the Super Essex Conference County Championship and the girls team took the Super Essex Conference title as well as proceeded on to individual and team states. To strip us of our home pool – our identity - is to strip us of our Cougar Pride. Please sign this petition to keep the Columbia Swim Team in their home pool, the physical education department challenging, and for our community to come together in a historic facility for years to come! Huge thank you to our partner, CHS '14 Alumni David Cutler for setting up a fundraising platform to keep our pool. Please kindly donate to our cause as well! https://www.generosity.com/community-fundraising/save-the-columbia-high-school-swimming-pool--4/x/13518639