A serene coastal scene with tall grasses in the foreground and a calm ocean under a clear sky in the background. Centered text overlays the image, displaying the Long Beach School District’s vision and mission statements in a clean, readable format. The text highlights the district’s commitment to excellence, student growth, and meaningful partnerships that prepare learners for success in a global community.
Promotional “Paint the Town Maroon” champion graphic featuring four people standing outdoors at a nighttime community event. One person holds a certificate, a child holds a circular award card, and another person displays a large maroon sign reading “2026 Paint the Town Maroon Champion” with a Bearcat paw logo. Decorative maroon bow and paint-themed graphics appear at the top with the text “Paint the Town Maroon.” The bottom of the image reads “2026 Champion” and includes the Healing Hands Chiropractic logo with “Long Beach MS.” Trees, event attendees, and lights are visible in the background

AND THE BEARCAT SPIRIT SHOWDOWN WINNER IS…

What a showdown! Several local businesses registered for this year’s Paint the Town Maroon: Bearcat Spirit Showdown, and let us tell you… it was a NAIL-BITER of a finish! The competition was fierce, the hometown pride was on FULL display, and we are SO glad we didn’t have to cast the deciding vote!

Please join us in congratulating Healing Hands Chiropractic, our 2026 "Paint the Town Maroon" champion!!

From hand-stitched sashes in the windows and painted window displays to handmade wreaths adorned with handmade Bearcat Spirit earrings, Healing Hands pulled out ALL the stops! And if you haven't spotted their VERY tall OG Bearcat (yes, the giant skeleton!), he's hard to miss sporting a Bearcats sweatshirt while juggling a football AND a soccer ball. With soccer season kicking off this week, we'd say he's right on theme!

But here's the thing about our business partners: their Bearcat Pride doesn't stop when Homecoming ends. These businesses show up for our schools, students, staff, and families all 52 weeks of the year. They invest their time, talents, expertise, resources, and hearts into our community, often without ever expecting anything in return. Quite honestly, so much of what makes our school district special wouldn't be possible without them.

That's exactly why we've started recognizing a Business Partner of the Month. This year, we wanted to find a meaningful way to give a little love back to the businesses that give SO much to us. These partnerships deserve to be celebrated, and the people behind them deserve to know just how much they matter.

Healing Hands Chiropractic has deep roots in Long Beach, a longstanding connection to our schools, and a heart for this community that just keeps on giving. Their enthusiasm for this year's showdown was the perfect reminder of what hometown pride looks like when it's backed by genuine love for the place you call home.

To Healing Hands Chiropractic and EVERY business that participated in this year's showdown: THANK YOU. Thank you for showing out, showing up, and continuing to invest in the people who make Long Beach special!We're proud to call you our partners, we're grateful to call you our neighbors, and we're pretty darn lucky to call this little town HOME.

That's Bearcat Pride. That's community. That's Long Beach.

#ElevatingExcellence #UnitedInPurpose #PartnersInEducation #PaintTheTownMaroon #BearcatNation