SLO County high school unveils long-awaited swimming pool. Take a look
Dozens of high schoolers took a chilly dive into the icy blue waters of Paso Robles High School’s brand-new swimming pool for the first time on Friday.
The long-awaited aquatics facility, which features a 12-lane competition pool, a shallow area for young swimmers, starting blocks, diving boards and locker rooms, was officially unveiled in a ribbon cutting Friday morning — about ten years after the project was first approved by voters in a 2016 school bond.
Through budgetary constraints, project delays and an eventual scaling down of the original plan’s scope, the school board approved a $15.9 million bid for the pool in 2024, The Tribune previously reported. The facility was funded through a portion of the remaining Measure M bond funds.
The opening of the pool means that Paso Robles swimmers, divers and water polo players will no longer have to drive across town to use the municipal pool for practice or competitions.
High school senior and swim captain Emily Santoro told The Tribune she was excited about the future of the facility and its potential uses, from home water polo games to community enjoyment.
“Being able to have a facility where people will see it and want to come swim and want to come out for all these sports is really, really awesome,” she said.
Community celebrates new Paso Robles aquatics facility
The school’s new chrome bleachers were packed with community members who showed up to campus to celebrate Friday’s ribbon cutting.
Some attendees were alumni, sporting their letterman jackets from their time as Bearcats. Current and former school board members, school district staff and Paso Robles city leaders were also present.
School board president Joel Peterson told the crowd that the district has cycled through 20 school board members since the 2016 Measure M bond was approved.
“When that vote happened, our seniors who are here today were in the second grade,” Peterson said. “My daughter was one of them.”
Paso Robles High School’s new principal, Mike Susank, joked that the pool, which took 60 hours and about 500,000 gallons of water to fill, had been full of water for longer than he had been principal. Susank was hired to the position in late February, after the resignation of former principal Megan Fletcher.
“I am so pleased to be here with you to witness the completion of the community’s long-held dream,” Susank said. “This moment belongs to all of us.”
According to district spokesperson Melissa Godsey, the pool measures 38 meters by 25 yards, with a 3-foot shallow end and a 12.5-foot diving well.
The facility, which is located at the back-left end of the high school’s parking lot, also includes a 3,692-square-foot “pool house” with men’s and women’s locker rooms, showers, restrooms and offices for water sport coaches, Godsey said.
Paso Robles athletes gathered in front of the bleachers to hold a long white ribbon emblazoned with the Paso Robles High School insignia. The ribbon was cut with a large pair of scissors by Susank, assisted by a couple swimmers.
Ignoring the below-60-degree weather, the large swarm of athletes jumped into the chilly water and swam across the pool for the first time, kicking off a new era for Paso Robles High School sports.
Santoro was one of the athletes who braved weather for a chance to swim in the new pool.
“It was freezing,” she told The Tribune after the plunge. “Like they told us to expect it to be cold, but it felt like a cold plunge. Like I thought I was jumping into like a bucket of ice.”
Santoro concluded by expressing gratitude and encouraging people to try out high school water sports.
“I’m just so grateful that we finally get this pool, and I’m so happy that more people get to experience it,” she said. “And, join water polo swim and dive!”
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 2:25 PM.
