McKinley Schreurs placed a sign on the chicken coop for the RTR senior class’ farm-themed homecoming float on Friday morning. Each RTR graduating class built a float that would be displayed in front of the high school in Tyler.

TYLER — Everything from their classes to sports and school celebrations has been different this year. But some things, like school spirit, hadn’t changed for Russell-Tyler-Ruthton students. Early Friday morning, the lawn in front of RTR High School was bustling with activity, as students and parents worked to finish class homecoming floats.

“We have to start putting signs up, and then we have to get the animals,” one of a group of RTR seniors said, as they assembled parts of their farm-themed float. They weren’t kidding about the animals either.

“I’ve got two pigs in a pet carrier in the back of my truck,” said Connor Kremin. Students planned to set up pens for the baby pigs, a calf, sheep and chickens.

At the same time, the RTR sophomore class float, shaped like a castle, was being hauled into place on the lawn. The castle walls took hours to build, said RTR sophomore Lexi Schreurs. “We started at noon and got done at 11 at night,” she said.

“We have balloons that are going to go on there,” as well other finishing touches like a fog machine, added Kyah Ellefson.

RTR celebrated its homecoming this week. And although students were getting into the spirit of the celebration, a lot of things had changed this year, because of COVID-19. Instead of having a school homecoming parade, the class floats would be displayed in front of the high school on Friday. While the RTR Booster Club was planning its own separate parade later in the day, social distancing and masks were encouraged.

Adding COVID-19 precautions into homecoming changed the experience this year, students said.

“It’s different, because you can’t have everyone come to the high school,” said McKinley Schreurs. Seating at the homecoming football game against Lakeview would be limited. And because RTR was on a hybrid learning model, some students weren’t going to be in class in person on Friday.

But even with the changes, students said they were getting into homecoming celebrations.

Schreurs said seniors decorated a hallway at the school to go along with their class float, and special events like dress-up days were also held this week.

“It’s different,” she said of this year’s homecoming – but it was good to still get a chance to have homecoming.