The tunnels and the off-limits rooms around South High School have always been a mystery. They’re creepy, dark and full of history. However, there are people that go through the tunnels almost daily. They maintain everything from electric lines to various broken pipes. Kurt Klessig, a custodian at South High, who helps maintains the various areas, gave me the opportunity to tour them. The first area that Klessig brought me was the electrical area of the auditorium, hidden behind a locked door. Beyond the electrical area was a staircase that led us up to a storage area for drama. On the right stood a steep staircase that led to the top of the auditorium. A red, rusty catwalk ran on the ceiling and overlooked the stage. Klessig told me that if I were to step off the catwalk and not watch my step, “there would be certain death by falling through.” Custodians have designated areas where it’s okay to step in order to change burnt out lights but still have to be cautious. Down from the steep stairs, lies a locked door leading to the organ pipes. Custodians don’t touch the organ pipes in anyway but only the air filters are maintained in the room. The organ pipes themselves are two stories tall. I had to shimmy through the maze of pipes just to get to the other side. The other side of the wall is a screen, like a speaker for the organ. Through the screen, I could see the stage and auditorium seats. Fascinating enough, on the beams holding up the screen, there was untouched writing in the dust from decades ago. One of the oldest dates written was May 18th, 1990 and the word “Phantom” written in the dust. The next place that Klessig took me was the boiler room. It’s located down the culinary arts hallway. You might’ve noticed walking down the hallway that it gets extremely warm. That’s because the boilers produc e heat for the whole school. Two boilers stand in a bland, big room and surrounded by large pipes. On the back wall stands a large, white wooden door leading into what is commonly known as the tunnels. In general, the tunnels are off-limits to students except with permission. They’re used mostly for storage nowadays but served another purpose many years ago. The tunnels were used for tornado drills. As Junior Abby Molzner recounts, “My dad used to tell about how creepy and sandy the tunnels when they went down there.” Teacher Todd Tutas told me later that, “Students would hide down there to avoid going to class after drills.” The school stopped going down there for drills for that reason. As for storage, the tunnels are used for various sports. One of the most interesting sports storages, is the old football/track equipment. It can be seen to the left when opening the boiler room door to the tunnels. Teacher Jeffrey Goetz explained that when he coached football that he would go down there almost daily. There, the football players would dry their uniforms since the heat from the boiler would be so intense. Goetz also commented that, “The lockers that hold the equipment were originally from the first teams at Central High School. They’ve been down there since the school was first built.” In the football/track storage area, anywhere from old uniforms to old football cleats are seen right away. Looking into the lockers, many old footballs lay and facemasks are neatly stacked on shelves. Eerily enough, they look like they haven’t been moved since they were last laid down. A first aid kit’s contents are scattered all around the floor. Off to the right, lays a stretcher that at least looks to be decades old and could fall apart when touched. Through the darkness of the tunnels, Klessig led me through a maze that ended at the pool. As we walked through, Klessig explained that custodians maintain the air filtration systems at all times, along with the alarm systems so that they’re ready to go when necessary. This is the area that the custodians must tend to daily. The filtration systems must be checked and cleaned everyday. Without their help, the pool would be super dirty and unhealthy to swim in. What many students don’t know is that the pool contains a window that can look into the pool and its swimmers. This is how the photographer for the swim team takes the underwater photos. Custodians do more in the school that what students see. Just because it’s behind the scenes, doesn’t make it any less important. They keep South High School up and running no matter what task needs to be done. After learning about what custodians also do, Senior Sommer Zabel, expresses her gratitude to the custodial staff, “I really appreciate the custodians and the workers going down there, I could never do what they do.” Next time you see a custodian working, thank them for all they do to keep you safe and healthy.
Story & Photos by: Arianna Vorphal