Seemingly without warning, the notorious OCSA gazebo that greeted generations of OCSA bus-riders into the school and served as a popular hang-out and photo-op stop for years has been demolished. It’s hard to say farewell, especially since there wasn’t an inkling that we would ever have to.

Eulogizing the gazebo, from the perspective of a student in his 6th and final year, would be immortalizing a piece of diseased wood, a piece of OCSA history. It was more than a beloved eyesore, it was a place for friends, family, and rushed video projects. It supported us every time and it was only sometimes a habitat for bees. It was there you sat when your friend served as an ambassador and as a messenger between you and your sweaty, snotty, middle-school crush; it was the site of the award-winning Color Wars decorations by last year’s Junior class (2019); and countless OCSA memories. It was a lot of things to a lot of people and the whole area is now off-limits for eating lunch.

When you stood inside the OCSA gazebo you were both inside and outside but, more importantly, you were at a risk of getting stung by something. At this time we must say farewell and pay our respects for the easily-destroyed, the fourth best OCSA landmark, the unforgettable construction that lifted us less than a foot of the ground so that we were never low.

Thank you, OCSA Gazebo.