August signals start of school year
As readers open this edition many know that busy times will open the latest chapter of rural life—the return of educational opportunities for K-12, vocational, community colleges and universities—and that signals a return to regular life for those who are on the High Plains.
A year ago there were was much hesitancy with COVID-19 as the pandemic caused many disruptions, and schools were at the center with many closures. The 2021-22 school year will start soon and there are high hopes, with guarded optimism, that it may return to more normal schedules. The return of Friday night high school football games, weekend volleyball matches and weeknight band and choir concerts will be music to many people’s ears.
Also on tap is the return of larger crowd numbers to college football games and reunions that often accompany such events. Those are all examples of familiar events but more important is the expectation of the return of regular routines that that includes in-classroom experiences and extracurricular events that often push students to exceed their own expectations.
What should our expectations be when attending many of these events? We won’t know until it all unfolds but we can help with genuine encouragement.
Let’s hope the return to a live environment will provide a shot in the arm in the confidence of students, teachers and professors and for the community at large.
With many of the challenges our country faces one of the foundations of tackling them is an educated workforce. Combine that with a work ethic and a drive to succeed. In rural areas we have the students who have all those characteristics. And the pandemic has played to a known strength in rural areas—the importance of being able to adapt in a rapidly changing environment.
It also ushered in the need for broadband communications and services for which rural areas have long been deficient in comparison with their urban cousins.
Today, there is substantial support for broadband equipment that can help produce future problem-solvers who may elect to stay in the rural areas to raise their families. No doubt that can help rural communities to diversify and attract top talent in their businesses, schools and medical services.
It all starts with the support at the local level and that’s where all of us play a part—consider saying yes if asked to help work a concession stand at a middle school game, offer to help FFA judging events, or be a timekeeper at a debate invitational. You can also help by giving a student a ride to school and encourage youth to continue to work hard and learn.
We have seen the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic and many educators at all levels are eager to see the return of students into a classroom situation and the dialogue that adds to the learning experience.
There are likely to be bumps along the way but in the past year we have shown in rural America that we have the moxie to succeed.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
