HOUSTON – If you are driving down North Shepherd Drive during the evening, you may notice a glow.
The light is coming from Kubiak Stadium on the campus of St. Pius X High School. No, the lights aren't being turned on for an athletic event like they normally would be but rather for hope.
"Our stadium and fields are where some of our most spirited and jubilant times happen for our students, families and the community," St. Pius X Athletic Director Jeff Feller said. "When we turn those lights on it's a community coming together. It's about love, fun, commitment, spirit, culture and all those things that make high school great.
"With sports being suspended by putting on the lights it says we understand that but there's hope we're going to get back."
Every night the lights will shine from 8 to 9 p.m. and on the video board a graphic reading "Hope For Houston" with #SPXStrong will also be displayed.
As a beacon of hope, Kubiak Stadium lit up last night from 8-9PM and will continue to shine nightly! We miss our Panthers and families. May the lights be a symbol of our love, hope and faith in our students! Prayers for Houston, our nation & the world🙏#SPXStrong #BeTheLightTX pic.twitter.com/gL22ZavBaC
— St. Pius X Athletics (@SPXPanthers) April 8, 2020
"It's something that we wanted to do," Feller said. "We wanted to share hope with our student body. "Beyond our students, it's for the SPX community and Houston in terms of who's being impacted by this. Beyond just the logistical issue but for people who might have had sick family members or friends.
"It's just us showing support and we want them to know we love them, miss them and we're thinking about them. We're all in this together."
St. Pius X is not the only program or team to do this. Last week a national #BeTheLight Campaign swept the nation with stadiums turning on their lights, including the Houston Astros' Minute Maid Park, Houston Rockets' Toyota Center, Houston Dynamo and Dash's BBVA Compass Stadium and Houston Texans' NRG Stadium.
"We wanted to jump on that and support other schools that were doing that," Feller said.
#LightItBlue 💙#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/Vvj1Plf6Dd
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 10, 2020
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