This column is directed toward the Class of 2025 McCook High School graduates, who will walk (or will have walked depending when you read this) across the stage at the MCC Graff Events Center on Friday, May 9. It is also applicable to all the graduates in surrounding small communities, which are working to grow and thrive despite dropping population numbers.

For the past several years, I have had the privilege of speaking to the high school seniors during their graduation practice, held a few days prior to the actual event. On behalf of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, I encourage the graduates to stay or return to their hometown. They hear from recent alumni, who hopefully inspire the students to come back to their hometown. And they receive a small gift on behalf of MCFF, as a reminder of their hometown. Are you catching the theme? Your hometown wants their young people to return home.

Because the graduates won’t likely remember what I say and because I am not above getting double duty out of my notes, here are a few thoughts from the speech given at graduation practice:

Graduates sitting in their chairs are just waiting to hear their names called, likely with several thoughts and questions coursing through their heads:
“I hope I don’t trip walking up the ramp onto the stage.”

“What am I going to do with my life?”

“Does the announcer know how to say my name correctly?”

“I can’t wait to get out of this town.” 

“Why did my mom submit a naked baby picture of me for the senior video?”

“Is anyone in this school or this town really going to miss me?”

While I cannot answer definitively why your mom chose that picture except that all baby butts are cute, I can assure our young people that they are needed and wanted in their hometowns. It is why we stand on the graduation stage every year and point-blank ask the graduates to move back home. And it is why local leaders and community members are working hard to create hometowns that young people want to call home. 

During the practice, I challenged each graduate to think about how their hometown has believed in them over the years and have made things happen both through the school and in the community. 

I’m going to pause right here, because in my head, this next part of the speech was going to be so cool because the students were going to stand up one-by-one for everything they were involved in. In reality, either no one wants to stand up and be singled out or no one is involved in these projects from this class. Either way, it was kind of awkward but I persevered. 

I began with a few small examples including Youth Change Reaction. Each year, 3 or 4 new members join as freshmen, hopefully serving four years on MCFF”s youth group. This year, Lacey Rouse and Sydney Hodgson are the seniors leaving their mark on YCR and the community.

To get a few more standing, I asked for anyone to stand who is involved in the FFA’s hydroponic program who has helped grow vegetables in the former wrestling room or in the woodworking class, who has used a router to create beautiful wooden pieces. I think a few students felt sorry for me and stood up even if they didn’t know that the hydroponic system grew lettuce and the router was a laser.

Next up was Cars Under the Stars, the drive-in theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds, which wouldn’t have been possible without the persistence of YCR, the generosity of dozens of donors and the willingness of the fairboard to take on the project. Again, I don’t know if no one had attended a movie or if they didn’t want to admit that they liked the cartoon “Up” but a smattering of students arose.

The next project was the Third Thursdays, which takes over downtown McCook with music, food, games and dancing. The first Third Thursday in 2025 will be hosted by Valmont, along with Coyote Country’s Country Music Showdown on May 15. A few more graduates stood, so I was finding my groove. 

I figured the next event would be a home run because it literally involves the entire junior high each May: the Heritage Square Walking Tour, which takes students through the Keystone, MNB Bank, the Ben Nelson Home and other historic sites. I was impressed that several more students stood up to recognize the collaborative event between MCFF and McCook Schools because it was five or six years ago - a lifetime ago for these graduates.

McCook Bison Days literally involves every student in the high school, getting them out into the community to learn about businesses, hobbies and interests alongside community members so I was anticipating a mass of people rising from their chairs. MCFF has been proud to financially support Bison Days since it began in 2019. When I pointed out that it was essentially a required event and I knew they had all participated, nearly everyone grudgingly stood up.

With nearly everyone on their feet, I pointed out that all of them had benefited from the generosity of others in their hometown. And these projects are just the tip of the iceberg. There are TeamMates and Rotary Interact and all the clubs, sports and events which students benefit from. And they are all made possible because others have supported them by giving of their time, talent and treasurer. 

But as the 2025 graduates prepare for the next phase of their lives, we hope they remember to stay connected to their hometowns, we hope they stay or return to their hometowns and we hope when they are able and when they are ready that they give back to their community. 

And if you are wondering what MCFF gave the MHS 2025 graduates as a gift this year, we provided them with a gift that will hopefully keep that connection to their hometown: a paper copy of the Spring 2025 Bison Alumni Newsletter since they are now officially Bison Alumni.