Classes at Davie start at 8:15, but instead of being in their first periods, two teachers took a trip to the second-and-a-half floor. On Thursday, Sept. 19, Julie Hanes and Megan Baker found themselves stuck in the Davie County High School elevator.

The elevator’s malfunction came less than a week after it had been closed to both staff and students for necessary maintenance. It didn’t take long, however, to figure out the cause of this breakdown was a power outage throughout the school.  When the power flickered, it knocked out a number of essential systems, and stranded Baker and Hanes between two floors.

Most teachers arrive at school around 7 in the morning, spending their morning preparing for the day but these two spent an hour of their morning bonding over their desire to get back to their everyday school activities.

“I was gonna go up,” Hanes said. “I had to clock in, I had emails to respond to, I had a parent to call, so I had a list of things to do.”

Also affected by the power flicker was the school’s air conditioning system, a fact that both teachers noticed soon after the elevator stopped.  For Hanes, it was this detail that was most concerning.

“It was hot,” Hanes said. “That was the only thing. But we didn’t want to drink any of our water for obvious reasons. We didn’t know how long we were going to be in there.”

After pressing the emergency button, Baker texted her teacher friends to inform them of what was happening behind the elevator door, though there was initially some confusion about the severity of the situation.

“I think I texted in a group text with Ms. Harris, Mrs. Shoemaker, and Ms. Brandon,” Baker said. “I said, ‘I’m stuck in the elevator with Ms. Hanes.’ And I know Ms. Harris thought I meant like, ‘I can’t get out of the elevator,’ like Ms. Hanes has trapped me in the elevator chatting with me or something. And she was like, ‘That’s strange. Ms. Hanes is very pleasant.'”

Once her friends understood the situation and knew she was okay, encouraging messages began pouring in on Baker’s phone. A handful of teachers from the social studies department also sat outside of the elevator, trying to make light of the situation. Baker even noted that science teacher Amber Brandon asked if they had decided which corner they would use for the bathroom if it came down to it. 

While the encouragement from their colleagues provided some comfort, Hanes later joked that there was some imbalance in the support the two of them received.

“She had a whole cheering squad outside the elevator from the Social Studies Department,” Hanes said. “I’m like, ‘Wait a second, what’s going on? Where are my friends?'”

While Baker and Hanes specialize in different subjects at Davie High, (Baker teaches mostly economics and personal finance while Hanes specializes in accommodating students with learning disabilities), it was easy for them to strike up a conversation during their time in the elevator.

“We were happy that we both get along, know each other,” Hanes said. “We weren’t strangers, and we had things to, you know, chit chat about.”

After about 45 minutes in the elevator, the doors were opened and the teachers could return to their classrooms. Of course, as their ride had not quite reached its destination, there was a little extra effort involved to make it to the third floor. Baker described the gap as “a little tiny step up,” while Hanes remembered it as “a big gap” that the maintenance personnel had to help them cross. 

Baker and Hanes have different feelings coming out of this situation. With her office on the third floor and her classes on the second and first, Hanes has found herself foregoing the stairs more this year. After this incident, though, she has officially sworn off the school’s elevator for the time being.

“I won’t be doing that anymore,” Hanes said. “I need my exercise all day long.”

Baker, however, has been much more unfazed by the incident. 

“I already rode the elevator like three times yesterday,” Baker said.

After getting off, both teachers had an array of people coming up and asking them if they were okay. The two agree that this was one of the most unexpected and unusual experiences either of them has had at Davie High.

Grace Carroll, Lilly Foster, Kate Price, Alana Stewart, Raela Wanek, Abigail Webb, and Callie Wisecarver contributed to this article.

This story was originally published on The Weekly Talon on September 27, 2024.