The Night the Lights Went Out at Menlo

By Lea Schack ’26

I can tell you the exact moment I knew that Menlo was the right place for me. In January I left Rosenheim, Germany to begin my freshman year as a student-athlete on the women’s basketball team. On the night of February 23, I was sitting on the home bench as we hosted our first GSAC tournament game. Outside, a major storm raged, but inside the Haynes-Prim Pavilion the Menlo community had taken the slogan #PackThePrim to heart (alas, my slogan #HoopsHypesTheHaynes didn’t quite catch on), cheering us on to a ten-point lead against heavily favored Arizona Christian with five minutes left in regulation.

That’s when the pavilion went completely dark.

A halt in momentum is exactly what a trailing team needs to reset and stage a comeback. Our student section immediately rose to the occasion, switching on their phone flashlights and leading the crowd in the classic Steam chant, “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” Watching from across the gym gave me goosebumps. I felt my school spirit and it made me proud to be an Oak. Here I was only a month as a student and it already felt like a community.

The lights were out for around 10-15 minutes but the audience kept cheering, singing, and creating a spirited atmosphere to keep the energy going. It was a moment I will always remember. The power returned, just long enough for us to win our first tournament game.

Later that night, after the power went out again, I was heading back to my dorm when I saw an impromptu mariachi band performing in the middle of the hallway. A crowd surrounded them, filming, singing, and holding party lights and just having a good time. Apparently some of the students pooled resources to hire some unplugged entertainment. I was so surprised by how my classmates reacted to a power outage. Back home, people would be complaining, but here at Menlo it was the complete opposite. People happily made the best out of the situation. That night was when I knew that coming to Menlo was the right choice for me.