BY KYLE LOVERN

Consolidation has gobbled up all the smaller and close-knit high schools we had in past years. That said, it seems there is no loyalty on where kids attend school these days.

Much of this concerns sports and kids wanting to play for a different program. Teenagers these days will even go to high school in another county or state. I am not being critical or saying they shouldn’t. After all, times have changed.

I just attended the all-class reunion for Williamson High School and the Williamson Athletic Hall of Fame luncheon. It was fantastic to see older grads come back to town and visit with former classmates and friends. It was great seeing some old friends I had not seen in years and reliving memories.

The state championship basketball and baseball teams from 1964 and 1965 were honored, with many of those teammates returning. It was awesome to hear some of their stories and to talk to some of those athletic heroes. Those are the kinds of glory days we hear about and remember from smaller community schools.

But as I said, consolidation killed much of that feeling. In years past, if you were from the Warfield area you attended your own high school and played for the Red Devils. If you lived on the other side of the mountain you attended Inez High School and played for the Indians.

Those who lived in Kermit played for the Blue Devils and those in the Crum area suited up for the Mountaineers.

The same goes for so many other communities.

I grew up in Nolan, and we have had reunions there for our former grade school. Hundreds showed up to visit and relive the good old days of the quaint little town where we grew up.

But now Martin County only has one high school, Mingo County only has two high schools, and many other counties have combined smaller schools. The feeling of small-town pride was great. Now you just don’t have the same kind of feeling you had in those older and smaller schools.

Some parents want their kids to play for certain coaches or programs because those coaches and programs have been successful. I guess there are even some instances that they send their child to another school for academic reasons. The rules nowadays make it easier to transfer to a different school.

I always felt that kids could learn better in smaller classrooms. More kids can get a chance to play sports at a smaller school than at a bigger school with larger enrollments. Some teenagers may stay in school and not drop out if they are participating in extracurricular sports and activities. Many are more apt to do this at a smaller school.

The size of the student body alone does not make a good school, of course. But there are things that can occur in small groups that can’t in big ones. Small schools facilitate positive student-teacher relationships. Those teachers knew your parents and siblings, and it made a difference.

There is definitely a certain feeling of pride and satisfaction in attending a smaller school. You make friendships that last forever. Not to say you cannot make friends at larger schools, but there is something about running into your friends and acquaintances in small towns and the lasting lifetime relationships you make with those people.

For fans, supporting those grassroots programs and smaller communities was much more fun. It is just something you would have had to experience.

You just don’t see the same loyalty these days when kids attend school in another town, county or state. Still wearing those school colors (maroon and white for me) and staying in touch with people you graduated with just isn’t the same these days.

As the new school year starts this August, I hope and pray the best for all students, coaches and teachers. I hope you can build those friendships and instill that sense of pride like many older generations did.

Good luck to all of you. Make the best of your experience, no matter where you attend school.

(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)