By Lori Robinson Evans
Riverbend News
In the face of COVID-19, school, sports and life has been a challenge for communities across the nation, but that did not stop Suwannee Middle School (SMS). Once the Governor announced it was safe to resume school and that each county could decide what that looked like, the Suwannee County School Board made the decision to open the doors. From the beginning, Ted Roush, Superintendent of Suwannee County Schools has been committed to making this school year as normal as possible for the kids. “It’s important to give our kids normalcy,” said Roush. “And not just the education piece. Of course, that is what is most important, but the social aspect, the sports-this is just as crucial, and we are going to do everything in our power to make it happen.”
With the safety of the students, teachers and staff in mind, the Suwannee County School Board moved forward. Sports became a controversy. But the students and the parents were adamant, they did not want to block that part of their kid’s life out. Using extra precautions, each sport opened one-by-one. Several kids tested positive along the way and following protocol were quarantined, tested and screened. Life marched on. However, Homecoming 2020 came with a vengeance. First the planning of which activities the school could host, what were the parents allowed to come to, the pep rally and the parade. Everything had to move with caution. With things changing daily, the sponsors did not give up, nor did the students and parents.
A few days before the homecoming game, the team that SMS was going to play had complications with COVID-19 and canceled the game. Now what? Once again, teachers, students, coaches and administrators got together and came up with a plan. “We will play ourselves.” And they did! The coaches and players came up with the game plan and divided up the team and kept moving forward.
Now pep rally time. They tried to think about safety-mask, distancing and not allowing parents to come. Then they came up with a creative way to allow students and parents to experience this part of homecoming. A walking parade would flood the halls and breezeway throughout the entire school. Football players, cheerleaders, majorettes, band and the homecoming court lined up and prepared to march. As soon as the parade started, bad weather hit and then a tornado warning was issued. “We wouldn’t expect anything less,” said students and teachers. “But we did it!”
As the day moved on, the weather became worse and it began to pour. The rain came down, but not the spirit of the students and faculty. Word began to spread throughout the whole county that homecoming would be delayed one day and would be held on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Even though the stands were a little lighter and the visitors's side was empty, parents and students were still happy and excited about homecoming. The team played, the crowd cheered and the boys and girls stood tall and made everyone proud. What a beautiful memory for the scrapbook of our lives and a hope that nothing will ever stop the kids from continuing to move forward-no matter what life throws at them.