On Sept. 6, 2022, parents and students all around south Texas paid tribute to the victims of the Uvalde tragedy that happened this past May. People from different communities showed their support by wearing maroon.

The Uvalde tragedy occurred on May 24, 2022, where a gunman shot and killed 19 students along with two teachers. According to the Texas Tribune, this was single-handedly one of the deadliest school shootings in the history of the United States and left a huge impact on the world. With students and staff going back to Robb Elementary School for the first time since the tragedy, they try to go back to their normal routines.

As a way to show support for a heartbreaking event, many students and staff at Bridgeland were seen wearing maroon as a way to advocate for the victims of the shooting. Clubs and organizations such as the softball team wore maroon to show their support. This was featured on the Bridgeland softball Twitter page.

Candi Weige, the softball team coach, expressed her support towards the victims of the tragedy.

“The support shown on that Monday overwhelmingly impacted all of us in Cy-Fair ISD, “Weige said. “Bridgeland is a part of an incredible school district that prides itself in service and leadership to others. We all are heartbroken over the detrimental events that occurred at Robb Elementary on May 24 and pray that Uvalde’s first couple of weeks back are running as smoothly as they can.”

William Powers, AP English language and composition teacher, also showed his support by wearing a maroon Uvalde shirt and talked about how he hopes the shirts helped the Uvalde community feel loved.

“I hope they understand that they are not alone,” Powers said. “They have people all around the state, country, and world who share their pain and even if the contribution is minimal, are trying to provide relief.”

By wearing maroon, districts outside of Uvalde hope to spread awareness and let the Uvalde community know that they are with them.

“We hope that by wearing maroon we might give strength and courage to those that needed it most on the first day back,” Weige said. “The schools and community are continually in our thoughts and prayers during this time.”