This is Pastor Tim’s article which appeared in the Evening Leader on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
On Friday, May 9, I went over to the High School along with Rotary to help out with the Memorial Games, an annual tradition at Memorial High School. There are various recognitions and they have the Mr Memorial competition, which turns into an insult contest and it is always hilarious. I didn’t get to sit in this year, but I got to judge last year and it was a blast.
I wanted to write this year about what a wonderful experience I have each year helping out, which I hope to do for years to come. My job is to serve burgers for the kids. Which means, I slapped over 700 burgers on buns during the event. The crew we had there working had helped out with the games for years, so it was a well oiled machine. We did run out of buns at one point, but a quick trip to Kroger and we were back in business. A huge thank you to the Fire Department for grilling for us. We got many compliments on those burgers, so nice job to you guys!
What I want to write about were the kids themselves who ate those 700 burgers. I mean this sincerely, I hope that the people of this town are proud of the kids we have in the school. Every year I do this and every year, this group of kids is incredibly well behaved and polite. The vast majority of them said thank you not only to me working at the window but also said thank you to the crew of people working in the kitchen where we were serving. Most of them were laughing and joking with us and just a really pleasant bunch of kids to be around. Interacting with these kids is what makes serving at the Memorial Games such a pleasure.
And just to be clear, the well behaved and fun group of kids I saw on Friday were not an exception to the rule. I believe this was at least my 4th Memorial Games to help and every year I find the kids to be just wonderful. The fact that the school in our town is full of these kinds of kids is a great testimony not only to the school, but also to the homes these kids came from, the churches they attend, and the organizations they are a part of. They all have very bright futures and that is a good thing for all of us.
Today, you hear so much negative about the generation coming up now. Sure some of these kids are going to hit some rough spots through the years, just keep in mind that is not the end of the world. It takes time to mature. The point of this article is to say something good about these young people because there is more good to say than they get credit for.
A big thank you to all of the faculty and staff of our local school system as you finish up another school year. Congratulations to the class of 2025. For all of you continuing your studies in college next year, enjoy your classes but don’t forget the foundation your hometown put underneath you. For those of you who will be joining the workforce and making our community an even better place, thank you for your dedication to family and community.
To all of you, enjoy the graduation season! There is so much to be thankful for and I want all of you to count your many blessings. I will begin your list for you. Graduation season means graduation parties and graduation parties means graduation cake…