We are in the midst of graduations, likely the biggest change for most of our young people so far in their lives. They are likely feeling many emotions: excitement, relief, trepidation, anxiousness, all of the above because change can bring on all those feelings. 

For many people, change is a four-letter word. But it’s not. Literally, it’s not. It’s six letters.

Change is inevitable and change is necessary. Will mistakes be made? Most likely. Will there be failures along the way? Most definitely. But will there be improvements? Most likely. Will there be successes? Most definitely.

In order for things to get better, there must be change. And while some people are hesitant to embrace change, others are willing to try something new.

For example, McCook Public Schools is trying something different with graduation this year. For years, graduation has been on a Sunday. There were pros and cons to having it on that day, usually Mother’s Day. But it was switched to a Friday evening this year and next. Will it be perfect for everyone with this change? Probably night, but at least they are trying something different. And if it doesn’t work, the event can be switched back to Sunday or even a different day.

For those who think that graduation has always been on a Sunday, the date has floated throughout the week, even landing on a Tuesday night only a few decades back. 

Trying something different is not bad and it may just lead to other changes.

Because of the change in the graduation date, this forced changes in other areas including the traditional McCook Senior Celebration.

First held in 1985 as a way to thwart under-age drinking, the celebration has changed and evolved over the years. But for many involved, it had grown too big and too expensive. Every year, the fund-raising and the event looked like the class was trying to one-up the previous year, draining resources from the community.

So this year, there were several changes. 

For starters, the money raised for the senior celebration will no longer be raised during the students’ senior year. Instead, it has been shifted to being raised during the junior year, freeing up senior parents to simply enjoy their child’s senior year. 

The celebration is also being scaled back, with senior parents agreeing that you didn’t need thousands and thousands of dollars to provide a party for the graduates. After all, the purpose of the party had become to host one final event for the kids, give them one last time to be together as a class, most likely for the last time in their lives. 

There was another change to the senior celebration. The kids will still be entertained with a hypnotist and a photo-booth, games and food, but most of the money raised during the football games last fall will be recirculated back into the local economy.

The money raised was used to purchase gift cards from local businesses which will be given as gifts to the graduates at their senior celebration. This serves two purposes. 

First, it recycles the money back into the local economy, benefitting the local businesses who have supported these kids throughout their entire school career, usually as sponsors for various events. These were the businesses who donated every time a kid walked into their business, asking for a donation, so this is a great opportunity to give back to the businesses.

Secondly, the kids will realize what businesses are available in their community. They will learn who has supported them throughout the years. They will learn how these businesses keep the community going and make the community a place we want to call home. And if the graduate happens to receive a gift-card they don’t like or won’t use - not everyone wants a manicure or needs a new headlight from the auto store - the cards will make great belated Mother’s Day or early Father’s Day gifts. 

Are all these changes perfect? No, but they are a start to discussing what is good and what is bad in what we are doing. 

Are all these changes permanent? Probably not, but at least these groups were willing to take a chance and make a change to how things “had always been done.” 

As we celebrate our graduates from high school, college and beyond, consider all the changes they are going to go through in just a few short years. They have to decide if they are going to pursue further education. They have to decide what career they are going to enter. They have to decide where they are going to live. And none of that even touches upon marriage, kids, and family. 

But these young people are going make a difference. They are going to make choices. And they are going to make changes - good and bad - because that is how we move from status quo to making our communities even better places to call home.