As the city of Cincinnati erupted with the Bengals unlikely advancement to Super Bowl 56, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) took note. CPS released a statement Monday Jan. 31 announcing that schools would be closed on Feb. 14, the day after the Super Bowl.

“Cincinnati Public Schools won’t have classes the Monday after the Super Bowl so staff and students can celebrate what we believe will be our city’s first-ever Super Bowl victory,” CPS officials wrote in an official statement sent to families.

The Bengals will be playing the Los Angles Rams in the Super Bowl on Sunday Feb. 13 at 6:30 pm. By giving all CPS schools the next day off, students and staff will be able to stay up late to cheer on the home team.

“We hope that you enjoy roaring the Bengals to a win on Sunday and take this time to take pride in our incredible city and amazing football team,” the statement also said.

The Bengals have given the city and the students of CPS so much to cheer about this season. After finishing last season with a 4-11 record, expectations were not set high for this group. Sure, Joe Burrow was going to be back from his injury, and reunited with former college teammate, rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, but this team was young and were still “a few years away”.

The sports media industry as a whole never gave the Bengals a chance. Although, who can blame them. The Bengals are a team notorious for being cheap, blowing leads, and off course, the lack of postseason success. The Bengals had not won a playoff game in 33 years.

This team ignored these narratives and all the outside noise, believing from the beginning. Tight end CJ Uzomah told the media “why not us” during the preseason, and that became the teams rallying mantra, which has now been changed to “it is us”.

As the season went on and the Bengals kept outplaying expectations, Bengals fans had to ask themselves if they were dreaming. Winning the AFC North meant a home playoff game. At that home playoff game the Bengals made it known they were not the old Bengals by breaking the playoff curse.

Next it was to Tennessee to face the top seed in the AFC, the Titans. In a ugly, close game, the Bengals cinderella season seemed destined to end until Logan Wilson intercepted Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill with under a minute left to set up kicker Evan McPherson for the game winning field goal. This win was the Bengals first playoff road win in the teams history.

McPherson also kicked the game winning field goal the next week in Kansas City to send the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1989. All three Bengal playoff wins were close, but the game against the Chiefs was the most nail biting.

After falling behind as much as 21-3 during the first half, the Bengals scored 18 unanswered points, the largest comeback in AFC Championship game history, to send the game into overtime. In overtime the Bengals picked off Patrick Mahomes to set up Evan MchPherson for yet another game winning field goal, the fifth of the season.

With the day after the Super Bowl off, CPS students will hopefully be able to celebrate the franchises first Super Bowl win in history.