Photo: Stefania Pelfini la Waziya / Moment / Getty Images
Oneida High School students returned to their campus on Tuesday (January 28) for their first full day of classes since a severe flood damaged the building last summer. The reopening marks a significant milestone for the school community, which had been operating on a split schedule at the middle school for months.
The flood, which occurred in June 2025, caused extensive damage to the high school, knocking out power and heating systems and damaging classrooms. Initially, repairs were expected to take more than a year, but crews completed the work in about half that time, according to CNY Central.
During the closure, approximately 500 high school students shared Otto Shortell Middle School with middle school students, attending classes on half-day schedules. The arrangement created challenges for students, particularly seniors who were concerned about missing out on their final year of high school experiences.
"Honestly, I couldn't sleep last night," senior Mitchell Griffing told CNY Central. "It's weird to say because it's school, but I was pretty excited to be back. I was so tired of the middle school. The half days were nice, but it's not fun not being in your high school for your senior year especially for sports."
The school district had originally planned to reopen the high school on Monday, but a snow day delayed the return by one day, WKTV reported. Prior to the reopening, the school held an open house to welcome students back to the building, with special consideration for freshmen who had never attended classes there.
Jennifer Roberts, a parent with two sons in the district, expressed relief at the reopening. "It was just so good to walk through the doors again and see the school open. It was spotless, and it was kind of surreal, a sense of peace that everything is back to normal finally," she said.
For many in the Oneida community, the reopening represents more than just a return to a building. "In Oneida, and in other communities... you sometimes see buildings close down and never reopen again," Roberts noted. "So this is not something I take for granted at all."
According to Spectrum News, the high school was not originally expected to reopen until fall 2026, making the early completion of repairs a welcome surprise for the school community.
District leaders are now focusing on helping students readjust to their normal routines after months of disruption as they settle back into their fully restored school building.