Most students were notified at about 7:30 a.m. through text messages, the news and word of mouth about the events that had been unfolding since about 5 a.m. on November 7. Some students and faculty even pulled up to the school only to discover, and to their dismay, that barricades and janitorial staff were blocking all entry ways into the campus. Janitors said HHS had experienced a small fire, which later turned out to be the smoldered main power supply.

With over a thousand students and faculty enjoying an indefinite vacation from the daily grind, Superintendant Craig Kautz, district administrators and custodial staff were busy at work looking toward the future.

“Two of three major electrical units that distribute power to the building experienced significant damage,” Kautz said opening the first of two press conferences. “These will need to be replaced. Until that time comes we cannot continue classes at Hastings Senior High.”

Kautz, along side Principal Jay Opperman and HPS Board President Jim Heyen, filtered questions from the media about the situation that continued to develop at HHS. The recurring question was what had happened.

“We may never know what happened,” Kautz said. “The system failed and it failed dramatically. At this point we are going to assess the damage and resume learning as quickly as possible.”

After long, sleepless hours spent removing potentially hazardous toxins from areas housing the units, the investigation into the cause continues. A press statement released to the Tiger Cub indicated that a preliminary analysis from the investigation precluded the primary electrical line that goes through an ‘oil switch’ outside the cafeteria caused two of three large electrical panels to overheat.

“These transformers have been damaged beyond repair and have been removed from the building,” Kautz said.

The environment of the school after the incident created a liability issue for the school. The school had been ‘ozoned’ which is the removal of all air from a certain part of the building that would help neutralize any odors that may still linger.

After a quick reaction and what appeared to be less damage than what was previously thought, classes soon resumed.

Students returned the following Wednesday, greeted by two large diesel generators providing power to the campus. One of the generators, which stands tall by the front doors to this day, is next to a large hole that had been dug allowing for the power to be connected into the school’s electrical supply.

Opperman said the generators will be at HHS for the next four to six weeks while a permanent power source is rebuilt. He was also happy to say that at this point the calendar year will not be extended.

“We had a little over 10 contingency days in the schedule,” Opperman said. “Now we have about 3.8 days left.”

Though there may have been mayhem at HHS for a while, administrators were happy to see students back at the school within one week.

“I am very satisfied with the timetable in which we returned back to school,” Opperman said.