A light in the darkness: Area schools join #BeTheLightMN movement to support students

A movement to show support for students that started in Texas has swept across many parts of the country through social media, and Douglas County area schools are taking part.

The #BeTheLightMN hashtag is lighting up Twitter feeds and communities across Minnesota as schools from around the state are turning the lights on to their athletic facilities for a short period of time each week.

It is a symbol of light shining through the darkness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, which led to a stay-at-home order issued by Governor Tim Walz, has shut down schools through at least May 4 as students have moved to distance-learning programs where any contact they have with classmates and teachers is through virtual means such as video.

Spring activity seasons in Minnesota also came to a halt, with the Minnesota State High School League suspending any practices or competition while schools are closed.

“I think the message we are trying to send is that we are showing support for our students, schools and community,” Osakis activities director Pat Kalpin said of taking part in the BeTheLightMN movement. “At this time of uncertainty, we want to show the students that we miss them and that we are all here. It also supports that even though we are apart, through the brightness of the lights, we are all still together. This seems to be the common message we are seeing through all of this movement.”

As of Wednesday morning, nearly 250 schools were taking part in turning on their lights for a short period of time across Minnesota. A full list of schools participating can be seen at the Minnesota State High School League’s Facebook page, and local schools from Alexandria, Brandon, Evansville, Osakis, Parkers Prairie and Sauk Centre are a part of that list.

Kalpin was at the Osakis football field on Monday night at 8 to turn the lights on over the field for the first time. The football field in Brandon and basketball gymnasium in Evansville also lit up for the first time on Monday at 8:30. The baseball field, instead of the gymnasium, will be lit up in Evansville on April 13 and the following Mondays going forward.

Alexandria will join other schools in the Central Lakes Conference taking part in the movement on Wednesdays by turning the lights on over Viking Bank Field for a period of 20 minutes that starts just after sundown. Many districts are committed to doing this for as long as students are out of school through the end of the 2020 academic year.

“This is a difficult time for (students), but the sacrifices they are making will have an impact on our society,” Alexandria activities director Ben Kvidt said. “We want to acknowledge their sacrifice and show them that we are still thinking of them and are still here to support them.”

Many schools across Minnesota are running the lights for 20 minutes, 20 seconds in honor of the 2020 senior class that has had its final high school months altered due to the pandemic.

“We are hoping that this rallies our communities to continue to help the situation we are in, but also offers them a feeling of hope that we will get through this and we will be stronger when we do,” Brandon-Evansville activities director Nate Meissner said. “It’s a sign from everyone at Brandon-Evansville Schools that we miss you.”

Schools and MSHSL officials are reminding people that if they observe the lights, to not gather in groups, stay in vehicles if they drive there and abide by social-distancing practices.

The BeTheLight movement started in late March when a school administrator from Texas was driving home from a meeting.

“In the evening darkness, in the midst of fears about Covid-19, he had a thought: Is there a way to shine some light for all to see?” John Millea of the MSHSL wrote on the league’s website through his John’s Journal. “Dumas High School principal Brett Beesley called football coach Aaron Dunnam, Beesley told local media in Texas. "I asked Aaron what he thought if we turned our football stadium lights on every night from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., to show the students in Dumas we're thinking about them. Aaron loved it and ran to the stadium and flipped them on. I then thought, 'Why not challenge other schools to do the same?' It's a way to show our kids we'll be back, and a sign of hope."

Millea learned about the movement by seeing tweets out of Colorado. On March 31, Millea retweeted a message from Ryan Casey, the director of digital media with the Colorado High School Activities Association, with a message from Millea: “This is such a simple and great idea. How many #mshsl schools will flip on their stadium lights every Monday night in support of students?"

Millea has a Twitter following of more than 23,000, and schools from around the state started to jump on board through the #BeTheLightMN hashtag. The movement continued to gain steam through this past weekend as hundreds of districts rallied to show their students that they are thinking about them.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a rapidly evolving situation. Whether or not schools or spring activity seasons in Minnesota will open back up the remainder of this school year is very much up in the air. Through a small gesture, administrators hope the #BeTheLightMN movement can be a symbol that their students are missed and that everyone can come out of this together.