Over the recent spring break, three students donated one of their mornings to help spruce up the memorial garden in the courtyard at Picayune Memorial High School.
This story is a bit unusual because most young people would use that time to head to the beach, or possibly just sleep in.
Instead, this group of young people got up early and got their hands dirty as they helped remove plants, add fresh dirt and spread new mulch once the new plants were installed in the garden.
There is another heart-warming aspect to this story. These three young women decided to help with this project for one major reason; it was a way to remember a school district employee who passed away last year, Bryan Goetzmann.
Long-term, the plan for this garden will be to add on to what the class of 1996 started when they constructed the feature. That will be to add a decoration with the likeness of Goetzmann engraved on it.
Acts of kindness such as these show that, contrary to some people’s belief, there are young people out there who will become leaders. Each time we hear about these exceptional young people, it becomes evident our world will continue to become a better place.
Additionally, when young people give up their free time to help the community, they learn that there is more to the world than the newest cell phone, social media feeds and who the most popular student in school is.
What they realize is the world is bigger than those things, and at times putting forth some effort to make just one thing a little bit better can lead to greater achievements in life later on.
The Item commends these three young women for their hard work on this project.