The State Congress Meet was moved back to February to allow for prep time to have it in person, despite COVID concerns. An in-person meet was not meant to be, however, with UIL deciding on Friday to move to a  virtual format due to a winter storm headed for Texas that was expected to bring ice and snow to much of the state. BHS competitors Omar Almeida and Nicollette Arabie, along with coach Melonie Menefee, came on Sunday for prelims and stayed the night, afraid they would not be able to make it back up to the school on Monday for finals. They woke up to a winter wonderland and news that finals would be postponed. Nicollette and Omar took the chance to explore the snow, some of the deepest ever seen in the area. Little did they know at that time that school would be out for the rest of the week and much of the community would be without electricity and water for days.

“We knew it was coming, but we had no idea how bad it would be,” coach Melonie Menefee. “It was magical waking up to it that morning, but by the end of the week we were glad it was finally going away.”