Orange Unified School District celebrated the opening of the new Aquatic Center at El Modena High School on August 3 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new pool deck. 
Water polo players enjoy a first swim in the new El Modena Aquatics Center in Orange. 
Student athletes from El Modena High School will no longer need to train at neighboring campuses. 
The new pool deck sits in the same footprint as the old one, but the pool itself has increased from 25 meters to 30. 
Water polo players enjoy a first swim in the new pool.
The student athletes from El Modena High School will no longer need to hold their practices at neighboring teams’ pools.
On Aug. 3, the Orange Unified School District celebrated the opening of the new aquatic center at El Modena High with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new pool deck.
“We are very appreciative of the patience and perseverance our student athletes and their families have shown during the construction of this beautiful new facility,” said Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen.
The campus’ new pool deck sits in the same footprint as the old one, but the pool itself has increased from 25 meters to 30. The change in size will allow more students in the pool at one time. In addition, the new facility was also designed to better serve the needs of modern-day aquatics.
“This project started with our community’s vision,” said Principal Sandra Preciado. “Thanks to that vision, this new facility will be the background of many positive memories for our Vanguards.”
The school’s original pool was built in 1972 and has served the district’ students and community for 45 years. The plans for the new aquatic center began in 2018 after the pool was closed due to plumbing system failures.
The new center includes:
- A new scoreboard
- State-of-the-art Colorado Time System
- Floating goals
- Larger warm-up area for water polo
- Four new restrooms
- Two locker rooms
- Heated outdoor showers
- A training area and snack bar
- LED deck and pool lights
- Large indoor and outdoor storage areas
- Ten lanes
The Orange Unified School District educates approximately 28,000 K-12 grade students in the cities of Orange, Villa Park, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and unincorporated county areas.