The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has put a stall on the year nationwide––businesses are being shut down, schools are closing, and people are being forced into their homes for quarantine. Likewise, the end of senior year for the class of 2020 has been postponed, if not cancelled.

All end of year activities like prom, spring sports, and even graduation are up in the air, leaving seniors with a feeling of hopelessness and little to look forward to. However, high schools statewide are standing with and supporting their affected students through the #BetheLight trend. “I think that most people overlook our age group when tragedies like this happen\; it’s really nice to see that there are people out there that recognize the struggle we are being put through,” senior Matthew Sauer said.

The #BetheLight trend involves every school turning on their stadium lights each night for 20 minutes and 20 seconds in support of the class of 2020. While the origin of the trend is uncertain, it was made mainstream knowledge within Minnesota by John Milea, who is in charge of social media for the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). “MINNESOTA, YOU ARE THE LIGHT,” Milea often emphasizes in his tweets supporting seniors statewide.

Milea has displayed the outpouring of support from schools all over using the #BetheLightMN on his Twitter account, which is what sparked BSM’s motivation to participate. “These are difficult times for many people but as far as young people go, particularly the class of 2020,” Benilde- St. Margaret’s Athletic Director Jerry Pettinger said.

Similar to this, many professional sports teams nationwide have begun the #LightitBlue trend, which involves turning their stadium lights blue each night, in order to show their support to the first responders and healthcare workers that are fighting COVID-19.