On October 4, 2018, Monroe-Woodbury High School experienced a power outage and a loss of phone service from approximately 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  All after-school activities were canceled, including the college fair scheduled for that evening, while Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. resolved the issue.

While this was going on, the high schoolers were still participating in a normal school day and classes were handled differently when the school turned dark.

After the initial reaction to the situation, students soon realized they would not be going to ninth period.  Some teachers gave a study hall and let students work on homework from any class, while others played games with their students. Still, other teachers continued to teach or hold class discussions.

Teachers without a class went on hall duty and tried to help resolve the issue.

Life Skills teacher, Ms. Garvey, said that she was not teaching that period but said she tried to help out people if they needed it.

Mr. Irwin was teaching his 8th-period Multicultural Literature class when the lights went out. He ended up holding the students for an additional period.

“The students were really great,” said Mr. Irwin. “They were cooperative and responsible.”

While this was going on, students said they felt confused about what was going out and thought something major, like a town-wide power outage, was happening.

The outage, however, did not last and at six-thirty p.m., full power and phone service were returned to all of the affected buildings. The cause was believed to be a water main break which had been fixed.

All schools opened on schedule and without incident on Friday, October 5.