- Foothills Elementary in Riverton used rivalry week to teach sportsmanship.
- Students wore red or blue for Utah vs. BYU, promoting friendly competition.
- Principal Yospe and Assistant Principal Gandara emphasized unity despite differences.
RIVERTON — There are plenty of lessons being taught inside Foothills Elementary School in Riverton, but on Thursday, it was hard for students to focus on reading or math.
Instead, it was all about red versus blue.
With Saturday's big rivalry football game between the University of Utah and Brigham Young University coming up, students were encouraged to wear their favorite team's colors. Red for the Utes. Blue for the Cougars.
And many students weren't shy about picking a side.
"I just love BYU," said sixth grader Tatum West.
Her friend, sixth grader Elsie Houghton, who was also in Cougar blue, chimed in with stats and players' names that could rival any adult fan's knowledge.
"If Bear Bachmeier does well, BYU will probably win because their defense is set," said Houghton, talking about BYU's quarterback.
Across the room, a group of boys in red didn't have quite as many details, but their Utah shirts said it all.
"Red. Because it's better than blue," said sixth grader Damian Reyes.
In one kindergarten classroom, students even made hand gestures for their favorite teams, flashing U and Y shapes with giggles and cheers.
For Principal Abe Yospe, a proud Utah fan, and Assistant Principal Jayme Gandara, a devoted BYU supporter, this week was more than just a fun dress-up.
Both agreed the real lesson was about something much bigger.
"We really believe that we can be different. We can have different opinions. We can have different things that we like and different things we support, but we can still be friends, and we can still support each other and cheer for each other and celebrate whoever wins," said Gandara.
"This is what sportsmanship is all about. We can still get along," said Yospe. "Mrs. Gandara is one of my favorite people, and she is such a great assistant principal, but she loves BYU, which is painful to me, but I still like her just as much."
Both of them laughed after Yospe's comment.
At a time when red and blue often stand for political division, these elementary students reminded everyone that rivalry doesn't have to mean resentment.
Of course, no matter who wins on Saturday, Foothill Elementary's students have already scored big on school spirit, and maybe on a life lesson the rest of us could use.
