A mere 2,500 feet above our school, on the picturesque plateau that we call Rampart Range, sits the possible source of the end of Kadet life as know it. Held back by a minor slab of concrete, this death trap could commence the beginning of the Air Academy apocalypse. I ask all students and staff not to be fooled by the gorgeous Colorado views that could easily skew one’s perception of this hazard. No; evil comes in even the most scenic forms. Live, laugh, and love to the fullest my fellow Kadets, because with the slightest give-way in the Stanley Canyon Reservoir Dam, its deathly waters will become suddenly unrestricted, dumping millions of gallons down into the lovely oasis of Kadet Canyon and into your classroom.

It’s true, only a few feet of concrete stands between Kadet paradise, and Kadet extinction. However, there is hope. Mr. Chisholm, our most trusted biology teacher and hiking enthusiast, has said it himself, “If that Dam were to burst, I would estimate that the Air Academy population would have roughly four minutes before we were completely underwater.” Four minutes. A lot can be done in four minutes. The news got slightly better as Mr. Chisholm elaborated on his previous statement: “Survival is possible. The hill located directly north of the school would have to be summited, but I’m not ruling out the chance that a student or staff member could climb the hill in under four minutes.”

That hill, we will call it “Survivor Bluff,” is roughly 400 yards in elevation, and 400 yards away from the school. 800 yards in four minutes is practically walking for most of our cross country runners. There is no doubt in my mind that some of the Air Academy faithful would have both the courage and the stamina to run out of the school into the face of the rushing tidal wave in order to preserve our longstanding culture of Swag-det excellence.

However, it is painful to admit, that the majority of the Air Academy population would not be able to survive this aquatic attack. Perhaps, you are on the toilet in the C building bathroom, the quietest, most peaceful bathroom in the school, and you cannot hear the crack of the Dam, and choose to ignore the panicked screams of your fellow classmates and staff. By the time you’re off the can, two minutes have expired, and you will only have the remaining two minutes to go find your sixth grade crush before the waters will be washing your love away.

Furthermore, we also have many students that have experienced a restricting injury in the recent months, and again, in their case efforts to escape the oncoming waters would likely be futile. August Scott, who had an ACL replacement just two months ago, comments on his dilemma stating, “Yeah, I probably wouldn’t make it.”

Crippled, distracted, asleep, or whatever the reason may be, most students and staff would fail to make the journey up Survivor Bluff if the Stanley Canyon Dam was to suddenly burst. Therefore, the focus should go elsewhere. Other than focusing on survival, let us shift our attention to what victories can be manifested in those four short minutes.

In this time where death is inevitable, the true colors of Air Academy will be revealed. No doubt some student will climb one of the trees in the courtyard. If our eternal damnation were to occur around lunchtime, most certainly the quiet student who never cuts the lunch line will politely make his or her way to the front. Mr. Hoit might take a step back from the calculus he is doing on the board, look at the rushing water, thinking of all the complex physics that goes into the movement of the wave, and smile to himself, because even facing ultimate death, calculus is still life. It is a fact that Mrs. Robson would yell “YAY BIOLOGY!” one last time. Ryan Henley would be leading a group of students in the infamous chant, The Kadet Crawl: “Kadet one, Kadet all, lets all do the kadet crawl—sh sh sh, sh sh sh…Kadet four, Kadet five, let’s all do the Kadet Jive—sh sh sh, sh sh sh, Kadet six, Kadet seven, Let’s all go to Kadet Heaven!!!”

All in all, the Stanley Canyon Reservoir Dam stands as a symbol, a constant reminder that Kadet life is delicate. One small crack, and we’re all dammed. And so I ask, Kadet student and staff, live every minute like it’s your last.