Monday, we celebrated Memorial Day. Originally called, Decoration Day, this day was first set aside in 1868 to remember Civil War soldiers who died while serving our country. Flowers, wreaths, and flags decorated the graves of over 20,000 Confederate and Union soldiers buried at the National Cemetery in Arlington.

While we remember the great sacrifices these brave soldiers made for our country, our Madison community is also in a season of remembrance. Last week, students entered and exited the halls of three community schools for the last time. Schools with a rich heritage. Schools with memories. Schools that changed lives.

When I was a kid, I attended Madison Primary and then Madison Middle. Greenville, Pinetta, and Lee all had junior highs with amazing sports teams that often beat us. Greenville had their own band program and the well-known George Pridgeon. Lee had their famous dances. And Pinetta had Randall Buchanan.

Over the years, I’ve heard numerous stories from people raised in each of these smaller communities. Generations of family members were schooled in these small towns where they were reared. Many of these families have roots back to the mid-1800s. So many teachers poured their hearts out for these students—who still bleed green and yellow, maroon and silver, blue and yellow. Lives forever altered in these hallways by those instrumental educators.

Madison is celebrating their own Memorial Day this week. Soon the halls and rooms will be emptied of items. Weeds will fill the play areas. And these ever-important schools will only be a memory.

It’s fitting to remember. To mourn. And feel sadness. Pass on these important memories to your children and their children. We mustn’t let these fade away with time. So many people literally fought society for the education of their families and communities and we should never take their fight and determination lightly.

Thank you, Madison County’s outlying community members for supporting and participating within our smaller schools for so many years. It has served my children well and I, personally, want to say thank you.

Now it’s time for a new start. As much as we will miss our small, community schools, we must move on. And if we want our larger, county school to be like our older, smaller schools, then we must choose to participate. Just as we stood with the staff and students of Pinetta, Lee, and Greenville, we must stand alongside the staff and students of Madison County Central. We can choose to continue the legacy and make Madison a strong, cohesive school district.

My heart is sad, thinking of the great loss. But my heart is also hopeful as I consider what a unified community school could accomplish if everyone got on board.

So, here’s your challenge: If you’d like to share your personal stories from Pinetta, Lee, or Greenville schools from years gone by, I’d be glad to read them and share them with others through writing. And if you’d like to volunteer, financially support, or walk alongside the students and staff at Madison County Central School, please reach out.

We are not in it for a politician or political agenda. We are not in it for personal gain. We are in it, together, for the success of our children—the future of this great community, nation, and world. Whether we agree or disagree with all the change, may we never forget that our kids matter more. As Martin Luther King, Jr. so aptly spoke: “The time is always right to do what is right.”