In November 2021, high school sophomore Lilli Di Grande wrote an article in her school newspaper explaining why 7,000 lights at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, Massachusetts could no longer be turned off and were in fact On 24 hours a day, seven days. one week.
“At that time, the [lighting installation] the company had gone through different owners, so it was difficult for the district and the people who worked on the lights to figure out who to contact,” Di Grande said.
Seventeen months later, the lights are still on, and DiGrande’s story has gone viral across the country and internationally.
Even “Saturday Night Live” mocked the delicious digital debacle.
It’s also causing deep divisions in Wilbraham, where the software glitch is costing taxpayers thousands of dollars a month.
Minnechaug Regional High School in Massachusetts installed a lighting system that was designed to save money but has ultimately cost taxpayers thousands of dollars each month.
(FoxNews)
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“As you know, sometimes technology works in our favor and sometimes it doesn’t. And this is, unfortunately, one of the situations where technology failed us,” Di Grande told Fox News.
Bill Bontemp is a member of the local school committee and has been receiving complaints from residents for months. Fortunately, he said the school finally found a software fix and is scheduled to do a repair over the February break.
“The promise of the technology is incredible,” Di Grande said. “However, we must always keep in mind that there are limitations to each technology and you cannot eliminate the human factor.”
Superintendent John Provost has similar advice.
The lights at Minnechaug Regional High School have been on for 17 months and counting.
(FoxNews)
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“I would say avoid proprietary solutions,” Provost advised. “Make sure the systems you install can be served by multiple vendors.”
Along with the software fix this time, the school promises to install a manual shutdown as well.
Fortunately, the school has announced that a solution is on the way.
(FoxNews)
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“Yeah, I’m happy it’s fixed anyway,” Di Grande said. “Sometimes it’s complicated with technology.”
Complicated technology, but ultimately says there is always a solution.
