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An EF-3 tornado accomplished the seemingly impossible Monday afternoon, completing McLean High School’s long-awaited renovation in roughly four minutes—24 years ahead of Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2050 schedule.

The whirlwind arrived on Davidson Road at 2:14 p.m. and immediately removed the aging roof, bypassing decades of anticipated planning meetings, environmental studies and debate over the proper shade of industrial beige.

County planner Dee Laye praised the project’s unusual speed and initiative, noting that the newly opened roof could also eliminate future spending on classroom lighting.

By 2:16 p.m., the tornado had moved on to McLean High’s overcrowding problem. It redistributed the second floor across 16 neighborhoods, reportedly dropping student density from 120% to 0.5%.

The storm also transformed the school’s modular classrooms. While existing “mods” offered innovations such as indoor plumbing—and officials were still exploring electricity—the new versions became open-air educational centers.

Science teacher Minne Mumwage said the renovation ended her days as a “floater” navigating packed hallways with a cart. Her new classroom, a crater in the baseball field, now gives AP Environmental Science students a more immersive learning environment.

Not everyone welcomed the rapid progress. FCPS officials said the tornado ignored years of work by employees who had devoted valuable coffee breaks to considering renovation plans.

School board member Bo RaCracy called the project a serious violation of procedure. The established timeline reserved 2028 for inspecting roof leaks, 2035 for discussing whether to form a committee to review the legality of another committee, and 2048 for considering a 50-year delay to the renovation schedule.

The FCPS School Board responded Tuesday morning by unanimously voting to sue the troposphere for unauthorized construction. It also ordered the tornado to return immediately and stack the debris back into the school’s original form.

In an official statement, the board rejected luxuries including natural light and structural integrity, arguing that students who wanted a pleasant school should have arranged to be born in the 2060s.