Lights Out, School’s Out
The first day of school this year, August 13, was only one hour long after school was canceled due to a power outage.
When Westminster students walked into the Grand Entry this morning, they were greeted by dark hallways and chaos. Students were first ushered into the Arena to wait for a verdict. They then headed to a dark first hour, where they continued to anxiously wait to hear if school was going to be called off.
Finally, after sitting in class for an hour, school was called off, and the students were elated.
“This power outage is a blessing in disguise. Yesterday, we were sad because we were not ready for summer to end, and now we are able to have a few more hours of freedom,” said Bridget Sullivan, senior, and Grace Clement, junior.
For some new students, the power outage was definitely their most memorable first day of school. Although returning Westminster students have experienced power outages in the past, today was certainly a unique way to begin the year, especially for the many new students, including the 114 seventh graders and 57 freshman.
“It was the best first day I’ve had in a long while, we probably broke the record for the shortest first day of school,” said Elizabeth Bauer, freshman.
However, while most students enjoyed their exciting first day, it was still disappointing for Westminster staff who had been working tirelessly all summer to make today a great first day for students.
“It’s a real bummer, teachers did a lot of work to make this a great first day, but hopefully tomorrow will be that day,” said Mr. Muehleisen, Dean of Students.
Some students were also concerned about the implications of canceling school for younger students because they rely on their parents for transportation.
“I was worried about how the new seventh graders would communicate with their parents to come to pick them up if school was canceled,” said Shelby Adkisson, senior.
Although this school cancellation was shocking and inconvenient for both students, parents, and teachers, the power outage encouraged the Westminster community to enjoy one last day of summer and prompted many students to spend the day together and catch up after summer break.
“Everyone in Broadcast was a little worried because we couldn’t do anything without power. We had been preparing for the first show, so it’s nice that we can still do it tomorrow. Honestly, it was a great time to get to know underclassmen better. The weird situation sort of forced us together and slowed us down, so I got to chat with new people I probably would have rushed by,” said Hannah Stevenson, senior.
