Opinion

I have a suggestion for all you green-thumbed gardeners out there: plant with the intention of giving back to your community. Imagine if a percentage of your garden harvest went directly to those in need at a food pantry.

A Cassville graduation tradition carried on this week. For those who couldn’t see from the stands, quite a few of the Class of 2023 handed High School Principal Tyler Willis a rubber ducky of some kind. I wasn’t keeping count, but I bet by the end of Sunday’s ceremony, he had at least 50 new rubber friends, if not more.

In the past 10 years, I can’t even begin to count how many graduations I have attended. Locally, I shoot at least three or four every May for the paper, but this year, I have another special one of my own to attend, and one that will look vastly different from the Barry County way.

Spring and summer are my favorite times of the year in Southwest Missouri. Graduates are throwing their hats while family members roast in the sun.

This devotional and directory is made possible by these businesses who encourage all to attend worship services. Let’s be honest, Christianity doesn’t have a great “popular” image in our country.

The SKITS crew has done it again! I spent Friday at their “Mission Possible” play, which left the room laughing harder (but less maniacally) than Silverthumb in Act I. These professional amatuers deserve credit for the time they put in, the confidence in their deilvery, and their ability to laugh off a mistake or two. SKITS pretty much sticks to comedy, but I’d love to see them take on something new. Maybe an adventure story where yours truly could play a part? I know who I would be, but who would be Ishmael?

I have spent a lot of time in the past couple weeks talking to people about addiction, drug use and the dangers and solutions for both. Last week, I talked to Chad Allison, commander of the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, for about half an hour.

The school year is ending, and now the busiest time of the year starts for public libraries. It is Summer Reading time! The Collaborative Summer Library Program, (CSLP), which began in 1987, includes representation from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and the Mariana Islands.

This week (May 1-5) is Teacher Appreciation Week. On behalf of the Board of Education and administration at Cassville R-IV School District, I would like to express my deep gratitude to our educators for the work they do each day to ensure the success of all our students.

The opening words of the Bible “In the beginning…” (Genesis 1:1) introduce a work in progress.