ST. AMANT - After around 90 percent of St. Amant High’s Marching Band instruments became a casualty of recent flooding, Northwestern State University has pitched in to help ensure the beat goes on at the school as high school football season gets underway.

NSU provided a loan of a total of 38 drums to the marching band including nine snare drums, four sets of tenor drums and five bass drums. Northwestern says the instruments were going to be surplus items anyway as the band ordered new drums over the summer.

“I can’t put into words what this gesture from Northwestern means,” said St. Amant Director of Bands Craig Millet. “The first thing the band does is rally around the drum section. What starts things is the drum cadences. That is what gets the band pumped up.”

The flooding was poorly timed for St. Amant as they too had just ordered new percussion equipment over the summer break. 90 percent of the school’s instruments were stored at the school when historic flooding came to the region.

“It is heartwarming that my new school (Northwestern) loves my former school (St. Amant) and wants to help,” said Mayers, a freshman biology major from St. Amant. “It was so great of Dr. Mathews to make the offer of percussion equipment to St. Amant.”

The St. Amant Gators open their season on Friday against Live Oak. Students of the Ascension Parish school have been attending classes at Dutchtown High while school officials work to establish a timeline for reopening their school.

“I saw the students for the first time Monday and they are very resilient,” said Millet, who has been at St. Amant for 27 years. “They can’t wait to get back to play and practice. Our community has suffered but humanity has not because of the willingness of people to help.”