Connection lost.

This message spread on students’ smartphones, as well as staff’s, on Oct. 1. causing confusion, anger and general upheaval.

Jeff Trapp, the principal, helped decide to change the guest public Wi-Fi to a private connection with the intention of getting personal device connection cut off.

“We kind of did some research as far as a number of people that were on the guest Wi-Fi throughout the day and then after school,” Trapp said. “We realized there was a lot of personal devices connected.”

The school’s lack of Wi-Fi led students to focus on finding the password.

English 11 teacher Rita Stricklin thinks students’ attention is on the Wi-Fi change.

“Once students get used to not having a password, it’ll be a good thing,” Stricklin said. “But, in the meantime, students are so focused on not having the password that it kind of gets in the way.”

Many spaces in the school are not Wi-Fi deserts. Trapp acknowledged that some phones still get good service in the school on their own networks. The number of personal devices connected to the Wi-Fi was around 400 devices. On an average day near the end of the month, it dropped to significantly.

Sylvia Whitt, a senior, said she is OK with whatever the administration has to do to keep students more attentive in class.

“They do what they have to do. It’s kind of annoying, but I’ll be OK with it,” Whitt said.