Stadiums to beam lights Friday night to honor class of 2020

WASHINGTON — You can call it a fresh take on Friday night lights.

School districts are honoring seniors Friday by lighting up stadiums across the state.

"I think it's just a small gesture that we can do to put the spotlight back on the class of 2020,” said Ross Filkins, Peninsula High School athletic director.

COVID-19's stripped high school seniors of memories they may never make, including prom, graduation and spring sports games.

“It's tough, it's tough to think about,” said Gabe Krishnadasan.

Krishnadasan's a Peninsula High School senior who’s forced to skip his final soccer season.

"Now that it's officially over, it's kind of heartbreaking not being able to be with my friends, and play the sport I loved and the sport I've played all my life,” he said.

Students can't be on the field, but schools want to show they care. Districts across Washington, including the Tumwater School District, plan to illuminate the field Friday night.

"If we can try to add back memories and add back experiences and add back different things for them, then that's what we're here to do,” said Tim Graham, Tumwater High School athletic director.

They fittingly chose 8:20 p.m., which is 20:20 military time. They'll beam the lights for 20 minutes and 20 seconds and cue up the scoreboard to read 20:20 as well.

Graham hopes students drive by, see the lights and feel the support.

"They're resilient, they're competitors, they just want to be here and I know that's a tough piece for them,” he said.

The special nod to seniors is a simple reminder their community sees them and cares.

"We can build a different memory and this will be a special one for them. This will be the only time in the history that we've turned on the lights on a Friday with nobody here to honor somebody,” said Graham.

If you see a school lit up Friday, snap a picture and share it on Twitter using the hashtag #BeTheLightWA.

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