Lights out at The Grove

(photo by Cameron Parker)

Last week WGHS suffered an unfortunate power outage on Thursday morning. During the morning of February 8th the power was out for about an hour with students being seated in the cafeteria.
​by Ari Carreon and Cameron Parker

Last week WGHS suffered an unfortunate power outage on Thursday morning. During the morning of February 8th the power was out for about an hour with students being seated in the cafeteria. During this pre-dawn outage, students were crowded into the cafeteria due to the school being pitch black. Some students even decided to stay home.

Student opinions
Diego Que (11th) also said “I think they handled it pretty well. They should have canceled or delayed school for the day.” Almost everyone has agreed that the staff has handled this very well and in a timely manner. Though some students were mad about being in the cafeteria for an hour. Most students just socialized, talked to their friends, and played on their phones.

Dane Myers (10th) says “They put everybody in the building in the cafeteria which was really hot, and there was nowhere to sit.” With the power being out and the amount of students in the cafeteria, it got really hot. Dane also said he was playing on his phone most of the time to keep himself from being bored.

Micah Bryant (10th) believes that they should have come up with another solution instead of having all the students in the cafeteria. “I just talked to my friends and on my phone while waiting for the power to come back on.” A lot of students were not bored because it just gave them time to socialize with friends and be on their phone.

What were the effects on the school day?
Even though the power was out for an hour and no power could affect learning and teaching, our teachers and students managed to make the day work. The classes were completely dark unless the teachers had candles or flashlights. Students were let into their first block about an hour after the power went out. Though students went back to class most teachers did not assign work. The teachers who did assign work would just make students do an assignment on the Chromebook because the internet was still available. Leading into the second period the day continued as normal.

How was it handled by the staff?
WGHS and the staff handled the power outage responsibly by gathering the students in a main area [Cafeteria] and waiting for the power to come back on. The school extended the time to be in class to 7:45 A.M. so students could make their way into school without any problems. The administrators and staff also helped to keep the students calm and comfortable during this time. Emily Sanzo (10th) stated, “I mean they did pretty good, I can't really think of anything they did wrong.” 


What actually happened?
The front office has stated “a transformer went out, and Walton EMC fixed it.” Walton EMC figured out the issue and fixed the power in about an hour, which is very fast for diagnosing and fixing the issue at hand. WGHS had Walton EMC come out quick and get the job done.

Though some students have stated some rumors like someone crashing into a power line, someone cutting the power, or a tree fell on a power line. The real issue was way less severe and was just a little transformer. Some students even wish the power was out longer so they wouldn't have to go back to class. These issues are going to keep persisting and our staff will become more knowledgeable about how to keep everyone safe and calm before the bell rings.

Next time WGHS is in one of these situations we will know how to better respond and react, as well as our students being prepared and expecting the unexpected. The staff did an amazing job this time and  will continue to do so when such new emergencies arise.