Recurring internet outages irk students and staff October 31, 2020 — by Christina Chang and Anjali Pai Photo by Christina Chang The lack of internet causes a sense of loss and mixed emotions.When sophomore Sarah Frederick woke up on Thursday, Oct. 22, to find that her internet went out, she fell into a state of what she called “natural panic.” “It was already past the time class was supposed to start, but I had no way of logging on,” Frederick said. “I wasn’t surprised because it has happened many times before but it’s still always really stressful.” Much of Saratoga experienced a Comcast internet outage beginning early that morning, with power being restored at 10:40 a.m. According to an email sent by the Saratoga Union Elementary District, a squirrel shorted a transformer causing a high voltage line in the area to break. As the internet went out on a Thursday morning, it disrupted students’ ability to attend their first- and third-period classes. For some students, the internet outage caused many difficulties. To attend her classes, Frederick had to drive to Pete’s Coffee to get internet access. “It was really weird for me to be doing school in the middle of peoples’ coffee runs and background conversations, but I guess it’s better than having to miss all of my classes,” Frederick said. This followed a similar incident which occurred a month before, on Sept. 23, when many Saratoga residents, including Saratoga High, were affected by an internet outage. Frederick encountered a similar situation during this previous event, where she did her homework using her phone’s hotspot while her mom was driving. “[If this were to happen again], I would probably be annoyed because it causes such a disruption to the normal routine I’ve finally established,” Frederick said. Sophomore Petr Tupitsyn was also affected by both occurrences, and said he initially felt scared about his school work. Both times, Tupitsyn had to connect to his classes using data and his phone. Though the outages didn’t have a great impact on his ability to connect to classes, Tupitsyn said it was bothersome. “I would certainly feel annoyed and frustrated that this keeps happening,” Tupitsyn said. “I guess I wouldn’t mind too much if it got me out of my tutoring sessions though.” Some students also went to the school library, student center, and quad to regain internet access and join classes. For Biology and Chemistry teacher Cheryl Lenz, the outage created extra work. She said her initial reaction was “Not again!” but she was relieved there were no tests or quizzes scheduled for those days. Though she could make adjustments to the lesson plans if needed, it would have been more difficult. Because many students were absent or came late, Lenz had to make sure the Canvas agenda had information and directions for students who couldn’t attend. Since students can make up work when the internet comes back up, Lenz didn’t have any concerns for their ability to complete the assignments. Though many students and staff had negative experiences with these events, World History teacher Michael Betz, who was on campus at the time of the first outage, said it actually helped his productivity. For Betz, the outage resulted in the opportunity to get more work done and even watch a documentary. “Without the internet, you felt this great sense of loss, but I was able to adapt and get everything I needed done before I left at 2:30 p.m. that day,” Betz said. With the unpredictability of COVID and widespread fires, many have been prepared for this type of situation. “If this were to happen years before, I’d be pulling out my hair,” Betz said. “But now I’m comfortable with it because I know I can be productive. It was just another obstacle to overcome.” 4 views this weekAbout the contributorsChristina ChangChristina Chang, Class of 2023, is an Editor-In-Chief of the '22-'23 Falcon staff. Previously, she served as a Sports Editor and local events beat writer for the '21-'22 staff and a Reporter and Layout Artist for the '20-'21 staff. During her time with The Falcon, she covered community news like the breakdown of city budget allocations and the first Blossom Festival post-COVID; wrote a series addressing mental health; profiled teacher friendships amid the pandemic; reported on the return of in-person learning and sports after shelter-in-place; and authored a narrative reflecting on her own basketball journey of eight years. Christina was named one of four finalists for Youth Journalism International's 2023 Student Journalist of the Year and one of seven finalists for the National Scholastic Press Association's 2022 Writer of the Year. She has received 23 journalism awards at the international, national and regional levels; her works have been recognized by Youth Journalism International, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association of Northern California, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and Santa Clara University. To further her journalism experience, she attended workshops during summer 2022 hosted by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, California Scholastic Press Association and Stanford Daily. She will fondly remember The Falcon as a highlight of her high school years, and will forever cherish the memories created during monthly deadline nights, enjoying catered food and chatting with fellow staff members while rushing to finish each print edition. Outside of the J-room, she enjoys getting involved in the community through volunteering with local nonprofits and school clubs as well as exploring her interests and creativity through art.