On Nov. 9, the lights flickered and Lafayette was left without light for almost one deadly hour. Out of the darkness rose one man: junior Cole Howard.

Carrying his trusty flashlight, Howard confidently strode through the halls, illuminating the school for students and staff alike.

Here is our hero’s story:

“I was in one of my teachers’ class studying during their planning period, and I asked to go get something real quick. On my way there the lights flickered, then they went off. I was in the stairwell, so the doors closed. I walked back to see what happened. A few teachers and I thought there might be a city-wide problem, so we went to see if the traffic lights were still on,” Howard said.

Howard was then asked why he had the flashlight on him (that may have just saved his life).

“My flashlight was a gift from my mom. I don’t remember why I was given it, other than for emergencies. I used to bring it to school last year, but not much. Second semester we had a power outage for like five minutes. I was in an interior room with no natural light, so I thought ‘hey, I gotta bring this to be prepared’, and next thing you know, I have it on a day like this,” he said.