NHS Induction Ceremony Cancelled after Sudden Power Outage

By: Evelyn Zutter & Kate Steinfurth

The Quaker Valley National Honor Society Induction Ceremony was set to take place at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22. Current and incoming NHS members arrived promptly at 5:45 p.m. for a rehearsal, and were met with an unexpected power outage. “It was eerie to walk into such a dark high school,” recalled Joelle Muretisch, a junior and NHS inductee. “The rain was pouring and everyone had their flashlights on. It felt strange.” 

NHS Faculty Sponsor Ms. Marasia remembers the chaos of the moment the power went out. The NHS officers—President Grace Carver, Vice President Olivia Galluzzo, Secretary Kendra Hines and Treasurer Margaret Burns—had just arrived to help Marasia take members’ attendance when the lights went out. “I expected the power to flicker and come back on within a minute, but it didn’t,” Marasia said. “I’m so grateful I had the help of the NHS officers and Mr. Orelli to help direct students to the library, where there was still some natural light from the windows.”

Dr. Riccobelli explains that she was preparing to come to the rehearsal when she got a call from Mr. Orelli, who informed her of the sudden outage. After conferring with Director of Facilities Mr. Gauthier—who had already talked with Duquesne Light—Dr. Riccobelli and Mr. Orelli discovered that power would not likely be restored until around 9 p.m. At 5:53 p.m., students were informed that the ceremony was cancelled. Subsequently, Riccobelli and Marasia made the decision to reschedule the event for a later date.

Some students, such as junior Kian Hopkins, reported feeling happy after receiving the news: “I was thrilled, because that meant I got to do my homework.”  Others, like inductee Aurik Severson, reacted negatively. “I was really disappointed because I had to wait a while for my parents to be able to pick me up, and I got dressed up just to have the event shut down,” Severson said.

Fortunately, the event will be rescheduled, and the date will depend on the availability of the building and parking. So, despite the initial cancellation, the exemplary scholarship, service, leadership and character of these 130 students will be honored at a later date. “Hopefully we won’t have any problems next time,” said NHS Secretary Kendra Hines.