Friday Night Lights: fans roar, music blares, lights radiate, and Etowah dominates the competition. These lively signs of a high school football game can be seen and heard from miles away. Everyone is familiar with the coaches and players, yet no one really knows who keeps the show rolling. 

Victoria Kemper, Director of Football Operations, is the woman behind the scenes. She assists the coaches and athletes in the day-to-day functions of Etowah’s football team. If players need more supplies, she orders it. If the “Player of the Week” needs to go out on the Etowah Recruits Twitter page, she posts it. Anything that needs operating, Kemper has it covered, but her main task is athlete eligibility (maintaining passing grades in order to play). Kemper is in charge of reviewing players’ academic standings.  

“When he [my husband, Matt Kemper] moved to Etowah, it was a matter of trying to find the right spot [for me],” Kemper said. 

Kemper spends the majority of her day supervising the new Success and Engenuity Labs. The Success Lab is designed to provide a time for students to recover absent work or complete makeup tests/quizzes. Kemper greets students with a warm smile and provides the resources needed to complete their work. The Engenuity Lab, located next to the library, is similar to a course recovery class, but students engage in an online semester course during school to recover failed semesters or classes rather than completing school in-person or online.  

“We do not want kids, even football players, to have to skip practice to make up a test or something, so they have this,” Kemper said. 

Her position in the labs allows her to not only track grades for football academic eligibility but also be present and helpful in the process of grading or recovering assignments. She is able to create a connection to athletes instead of being another authority figure nagging them to makeup schoolwork.  

“I think it is a great opportunity because, for some kids, it would be summer school,” Kemper said. 

Kemper enjoys her new role within the community at Etowah and encourages students to stay on top of their work.  She believes that the labs can be fundamental to students’, especially athletes’, success.