Northwood is currently undergoing a power outage following a catastrophic failure of its connection to the power grid, suspected to have been caused by every Northwood student tuning into the premiere of the new series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” on Disney+ at once.
The power outage initially caused no major damage to the school except to several students who had yet again forgotten to charge their Chromebooks. The only inconvenience noted for most students was that they couldn’t watch more “Percy Jackson” at school because the Wi-Fi routers spontaneously combusted. Power generated by the solar panels have been designated only for emergencies and is off limits to students and most staff members.
“An outrage! How else am I supposed to get my ‘Percy Jackson’ fix?’” senior Eyluv Thsho said. “The internet cut out just before the climax, and now I can’t finish the show at school. That’s unforgivable!”
The influx in viewers also caused the North American Disney+ servers to shut down, as they could not handle the sheer number of high schoolers logging onto the site during school hours. Administration has shut down schools for the entirety of next week in an unprecedented nine-day weekend so that the student population may march to the Disney headquarters to force the site to reopen.
In addition to the power outage, students are also concerned about the lack of news over the announcement of a second season. Northwood students are currently planning a bake sale to raise money to fund a second season of the show, as well as more on-site power generation. The turnout is expected to be almost 5,000 students, including students driving in from other districts to show their support for the cause.
“The desserts we’re serving will hopefully help give this show the justice it deserves,” bake sale organizer sophomore Riordian Baker said. “I just have to see what happens after that big twist at the end of the first season!”
To satisfy the school’s need for more Rick Riordian content, the theater program is currently working on an adaptation of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” for the spring play. However, they are forced to rehearse in the dark, as the power still hasn’t returned to most of the school. The actors are currently wearing glow sticks to at least indicate the positions of the actors as they perform in near complete darkness.
The power will be out for the foreseeable future until electricians arrive to fix the power at school. Until then, all students are encouraged to do their work by reading textbooks, engaging in discussions with other students and writing notes without the internet. They are also encouraged to visit the library to place a hold on a “Percy Jackson” novel, although it may be a long time before they are able to check it out due to the series’ current popularity.
“It’s been hard to keep track of the books without our online database,” librarian Ridfar Fun said. “We’ve had to go back to stamping the inside of the covers to keep track of who borrowed what book. Still, I appreciate that this TV show has reinstilled the reading spirit back into the school culture.”
