Senior prank mucks up school pool

Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- Pranksters created quite a stink this week when they

dumped nearly 15 open bags of compost into the shallow end of a high

school swimming pool.

There was no damage to Newport Harbor High School’s 50-meter pool, where

officials believe vandals heaved heavy bags of manure over the fence

surrounding it. The pool was closed Wednesday and Thursday for cleaning.

Officials do not have any leads on who pulled the gag, but chalked it up

to a typical senior prank, said Newport Harbor water polo coach Bill

Barnett.

The rouse forced officials to cancel water polo and swim practices until

it was safe for students, who trained on dry land in the meantime.

In-water practice will resume next week.

The school’s annual cardboard boat races were also forced to relocate

Wednesday, using Corona del Mar’s pool instead.

Members of the varsity water polo team first discovered the mess when

they showed up for practice at 6:20 a.m. Wednesday.

A dirty film covered the surface of the muddied water as compost seeped

out of the bags and drained to the deep end, said Polly Dolkas, a varsity

water polo team member. The bags were only partially ripped open.

The Newport Harbor junior said a strong stench saturated the area.

Students could still smell it all the way from the school’s parking lot

Thursday.

“It was really, really gross,” Dolkas said. “Everyone thinks it was a

senior prank.”

It was not the first time pranksters struck at the pool. Chairs and goals

have been tossed into the water in years past, Barnett said.

“But I’ve never seen this before,” Barnett said.