Power Hour
Flour Bluff ISD experiences power outage mid-lunch schedule
Meredith Gayanilo, Editor-in-Chief
September 6, 2024
Embedded Files
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS—A district wide power outage was reported after a powerline in the Laguna Shores and Graham Road area was downed; shortly after that a grass fire broke out. This occurred on Friday, August 23, 2024 around noon. Thousands of people had no power, and Flour Bluff ISD classes had to pause their instruction. High School teacher Teresa Cotton and her 4th period Advanced Geometry class was one of them.
“My first thought was that it was no big deal, and it will come back on!” Cotton said. “We were taking a test, all tests were invalidated, and test security was gone at that point!”
Many classrooms at FBHS do not have windows, resulting in immediate heat buildup and complete darkness during electrical failures. However, the students were determined to continue their test without hesitation.
“My 4th period students were amazing! They actually tried to continue the test using their flashlights on their phones!” Cotton said. “Then, when I said the test was invalidated due to the circumstances, they were disappointed, but they understood. We had to test again on Monday, but with a new test.”
Within their attempt, the students resorted to using their phones and other methods for a light source. Unfortunately, there was no way to avoid the invalidation of the tests. Sophomore Praxedis Morgan thought one of his classmate’s methods to help the other students was entertaining.
“When the lights went out and everything powered down, a lot of people were shouting, talking, giving people answers to the test, which is why we had to retest,” Morgan said. “One of my friends acted like a human torch with phone flashlights which was pretty funny.”
Over the weekend, Cotton was tasked with creating a new test for the upcoming Monday. It may not have been a difficult task, but it was not a fun thing to do, saying, “[There are] other things I would rather spend my weekend on!”
Claira Shores, another sophomore in the class, appreciated the opportunity for a retest. “Personally, I think it was fair for us to complete a new test due to the answers being shared. There wasn’t much Cotton could do to stop it,” Shores said. “Most of the kids and I are thankful that the second test was a lot easier.”
Overall, the power outage only lasted about an hour, allowing the students and staff to resume their day as normal, with the only disruption being an extended 4th period and no advisory for that day.
Page updated
Report abuse