An unconventional audience in H-L's bleachers

With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging throughout Ohio, the student council at Hopewell-Loudon High School came up with a creative, socially-distant way to provide support to school athletes: by filling the bleachers with cardboard cut-outs. Hopewell-Loudon had a complex fall semester this year, as most school districts did. They started school late due to quarantines, then spent two weeks on a hybrid model before switching to full-time face-to-face. That lasted a month, then H-L went back to hybrid for the rest of the semester. The spring semester has now begun on the same hybrid model that the fall ended on. Sports and school activities have continued, but with no students in the audience. "They can't go to games," said Jenni Jury, Spanish teacher and advisor for HL's student council. "Outside activities and socializing are at a minimum. It's a 'new normal.'" During the council's monthly meeting on December 8, the students were brainstorming "out of the box" ways to keep school spirit up. Some members had seen cut-outs used at college and professional sporting events, as well as another high school in Marion that tried the same thing. By chance, one member of student council was related to someone at Same Day Signs, a sign-making business in Tiffin. She asked him about the potential for the project, and he was able to give some suggestions and estimates. Though student council did all the paperwork and set up the figures themselves (with some help from parents), each cut-out was purchased by the person pictured. They began by offering students in grades 7-12 the opportunity to become a cardboard fan for $15. On December 18, only four days after the council began advertising for cut-outs, there were 50 orders. Now, 20 more are in the works, and more will be taken over the next week and a half. "We thought it would just be a student thing, something fun to get the kids involved," said Jury. "We wanted the price as low as possible to get more kids to participate." However, when Jury was filing the paperwork with HL's treasurer, the treasurer asked about purchasing a cut-out of a pet. Jury saw an opportunity. She sent a message to all the school's staff, then posted on the Hopewell-Loudon Athletics Facebook page. The orders came rolling in. "Now we have high school students, junior high students, elementary students, pets, siblings, alumni, grandparents, cousins, staff and our mascot, Chief Pride," Jury said. Notably, there's also a cut-out of current President Donald Trump. The first time the cut-outs saw the stands was for a boys' basketball game vs. Liberty-Benton. The next night, they were put out again for the girls' game. Because the bleachers need to be put away between games for gym classes and other events, the standees have to be put up and taken down often. Luckily, parents and students have been more than willing to help. Aside from basketball games and a few home wrestling matches, the cut-outs have also made appearances throughout the school itself. This week, they were set up along the windows in the gym hallway to greet teachers and students on their first days back from winter break. Throughout the rest of the semester, the cutouts will be present at many games and activities. At the end of the school year, they'll all go back to their original buyers. "I'd like to give a shout out to our administration and staff for working through all the changes and accommodating kids and their ideas to make this year the best that it can be," Jury said. "New projects like this help! It's a lot of fun to see all this spirit!"