The student section for the football game Friday was moved to the section of stands by the band to make more room for social distancing in the main stands. 

“It was done so we could social distance our stadium the best we could,” assistant principal Paul Weinheimer said.

There were mixed feelings about this sudden change. Some feel that it was a good idea, others not so much.

“I think them moving the student section over to the band started more problems than it solved,” student section leader Landon Mulcahy said.

To help make more space in a tight spot, students were allowed to stand on the fence line by the endzone as long as they did not block the film camera or get in the band’s way. 

“We wanted students to spread out the best we could so we allowed them to come up and spread out along the fence line,” Weinheimer said. “Students did a great job of not interfering with the endzone camera used to film the game.”

This seemed to please most students, but some still felt that they were at an inconvenience. 

“There wasn’t enough room, band parents were saying we were too close to the band and the students had a poor view of the game,” Mulcahy said.

Despite these challenges, students were still able to celebrate another Badger win. 

“What we want is for all of our students to know we appreciate their school spirit and enthusiasm,” Weinheimer said. “The band, Flames and student section worked well together in a situation that they were not accustomed to.”

The normal student section in the main stands was mostly empty throughout the game. Administrators talked about letting students move back there before the game started, but then it started filling up so they decided against it. 

The students have shown no problems with wearing their face coverings correctly and social distancing during both home games.

“The student section was one of the few fans or groups that actually wore masks during our first week game,” student section leader Addie McDonald said. “Many of the other fans, however, did not wear face coverings or social distance, and this resulted in decreased ticket sale numbers, mandated by UIL. I thought it was very inconsiderate to move the student section, when we are the ones who actually complied with the guidelines.”

Many feel that the best idea for the next home game is to move the student section back to its original area. Some feel that it was a good idea, allowing more social distancing within the stands. 

“Administration will look at how things went and make adjustments if needed,” Weinheimer said.