Russellville High School is demonstrating how to truly put students first in the midst of a society that demands students to wear multiple hats and often balance multiple commitments.

Principal Ben Bruni tweeted the accompanying photo on Sept. 18 after a home football game under the Friday night lights of the iconic Rhea Stadium. It shows a Panther football player in uniform playing a musical instrument among fellow band members.

The perfectly captured moment by local sports photographer Kelly Phillips only needed a few likes and a couple of retweets before it began trending. Several community members in and around Russellville gave notice to the flexibility of Head Football Coach Mikie Benton and Band Director Trevor Cardwell. 

Dr. Kirk Fee, an orthopedic surgeon from Bowling Green, was highly impressed by the collaborative efforts and strong leadership of Russellville High School. After Dr. Fee came across the tweet, he reached out to Principal Bruni to offer his support of a $1,000 donation each to the Russellville Football and Band Programs.

Dr. Fee delivered his donation on Sept. 29 to Russellville High School and praised freshman Ramon Amos for his efforts in participating and learning valuable life lessons from each of the extracurricular activities. Fee stated that he appreciates the collaborative efforts shown in enabling students to actively participate in both high school football and marching band.