It was a normal Thursday at Highlands. Earlybird students had already started their school day, and others were beginning to trickle into the cafeteria or the library to work on last minute homework or chat with their friends. Everyone had braved the freezing rain from a storm the night before, and were anticipating a warm and easy day inside the school.

At 7:35 am the school went black.

“I go to early bird and we were playing pickle ball and all of a sudden the lights went out,” recalled freshman Lauren Jamie.

Panic washed over the staff and students. After the initial shock wore off, students began to wonder what was going to happen with the rest of their day, crossing their fingers that they would be sent home early. However, this was not the case.

Students waited in their first periods for over 3 hours. Their initial frustration and anger faded into creativity, with many students finding fun and jovial activities to participate in during this time. Turns out that without wifi, students were able to find enjoyment away from their screens. Students came together to play games, build with legos, and showcase their talent for art on the whiteboards.

William Bertsch, senior, was in English Teacher Jennifer Nash’s, class during the blackout, “We all just played hangman and stuff.”

Bertsch had another unusual experience during the blackout, “I got to enjoy a nice movie with my friend. I have no idea who it was. I only know like 3 kids in my class. He just came up to me and we watched it. So I made a friend, but I don’t know his name.”

Some students did have a more negative outlook on the event, but this was outweighed by the positive experiences that many students had. Paige Ossege, sophomore, said, “I feel like it was fine and that everyone was overreacting.”

Although students had differing opinions about the event and how it was handled, overall, it was a chance for all students to come together to make the best out of an unideal situation. Mac Russell, sophomore, concluded, “It was inconvenient but it was still kinda fun.”