In the aftermath of Saturday’s mass shooting in Texas, students from rival high schools in Midland and Odessa are working together to help survivors. Close to 100 teens from Odessa High School and Permian High School got together to figure out how they could help the community and that’s impressive enough, but what makes it even more special is that these two cities have a legendary rivalry.
The rivalry between Odessa and Permian was made famous in the book “Friday Night Lights” and the TV show of the same name fictionalized it. But these teens put aside their differences for this joint effort. They came up with a goal of having a massive fundraising event in a few weeks and to donate the proceeds to those in need.
“We’re the next people to be the leaders of this community,” explains Luis Olivas, a junior at Odessa. “Things are going to be far from normal, but as long as everybody helps out, if we have each others’ backs like a big family, we can make it through.”