WESTFIELD — After 13 years of schooling, seniors at Westfield Technical Academy had to wait half an hour longer to graduate when a power outage delayed Thursday night’s ceremony.
“It was pretty interesting — we lost power right at 7 p.m. as soon as they started marching in,” said School Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski. “We ended up getting a generator to power the sound system. Just as the last name was called, the [main] power came back.”
Using the generator, school administrators were able to begin the Bullens Field ceremony at 7:31 p.m. and conclude at 8:30 p.m., Czaporowski said. He credited School Committee member Bo Sullivan for finding an attendee at the ceremony who happened to have a portable generator with him in his truck.
“It was a first, for sure, but the graduates and families handled it in stride and it turned out to be a beautiful night and ceremony,” said Westfield Technical Academy Assistant Principal Kevin Daley.
During the half-hour without power, the school band played Elvis tunes like “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” to entertain the parents, siblings and other well-wishers gathered to witness their loved ones’ graduation, Czaporowski said.
“I was pretty proud that despite the fact that we were sitting there for 30 minutes, the crowds and the graduates were pretty patient,” the superintendent said. “We overcame the obstacle and were able to move forward.”
The power outage also affected that night’s meeting of the Westfield City Council. Councilors in the second-floor chamber at City Hall conducted business by the light of their cellphones. The 35-minute meeting ended before Westfield Gas & Electric was able to restore service.
City Clerk Kaitlyn Bruce said she grabbed a notebook, and was able to take minutes and record the meeting using devices with battery power. She said one resident was speaking during the public participation segment of the agenda when the lights went out, and was told to continue.
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