Small town

Good afternoon friends, family, faculty, staff, administration and community members.

In 2013, John Mellencamp told Rolling Stone magazine, regarding his 1985 song, Small Town, “I wanted to write a song that said, ‘You don’t have to live in New York or Los Angeles to live a full life or enjoy your life.’ I was never one of those guys that grew up and thought, ‘I need to get out of here.’ It never dawned on me. I just valued having a family and staying close to friends.

I’m sure many of you have heard that song on the radio over the years, and you may even know quite a few of the lyrics, but for those of you who are less familiar with it, I’d like to take you through some of the main points of the song, and I think you’ll agree that Mr. Mellencamp could very well have been writing this song about Rib Lake.

Many of us in the class of 2021, and probably out there in the audience for that matter, were born and raised right here in Rib Lake — or in a small town similar to it. We’ve been, as Mr. Mellencamp would put it, “educated” and “taught the fear of Jesus” in this small town. Some will probably, as he goes on to say, live,work, and eventually be buried right here too. Our parents, and their parents may have done the same, and our children may do the same someday as well. Now, some might say, as Mr. Mellencamp does in his song, that small towns like Rib Lake offer “little opportunity.” And in some ways, they might be right. But I believe that small towns like ours also offer other opportunities that big towns simply cannot.

Just as an example, due to our rural location and relatively sparse population, we were experts at “social distancing” long before it became a thing! On a more serious note, though, we are truly known here in Rib Lake. Every staff member knows our name and something about us, whether they’ve had us in a class or not, and we know virtually everyone in the high school, regardless of their age — freshmen through seniors. You’d be hard-pressed to find a large school where that’s the case.

As another example of small school benefits, if we want to try something new — academically, athletically, Ryan Patrick received the Price Electric Scholarship and the Beth Scheithauer Memorial Scholarship.

musically, or in any other capacity — we generally can, and without fear of being turned away due to number restrictions or roster limitations. Again, this is typically NOT the case in a bigger school.

Some might even argue that poor cell reception or lack of internet access is a barrier to our success here in our small town, and while there may be some truth to that, it can also serve as an opportunity to unplug. So, I guess “opportunity” is what you make of it. Mr. Mellencamp goes on in Small Town to say that he’s “got nothing against the big town.” While I don’t hold a grudge against any particular city, I can say that in my own personal experience I have felt out of place in pretty much every city that I’ve ever visited. Whether our family trips over the years took us to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, or even Orlando, within a relatively short period of time, I couldn’t wait to be back home.

Perhaps that’s because, as the song goes, “I can breathe in a small town.” Or, maybe it’s because “I can be myself here in this small town, and people let me be just what I want to be.”

Now, for me and my fellow classmates in the graduating class of 2021 here in Rib Lake, we are, to use a songwriting analogy, reaching the end of one verse in our life song, and getting ready to write another. For some of us that may lead to living and working in a “big town,” but for others the small town life is, as Mr. Mellencamp notes, “good enough.” Whatever the case, all of us can realize success in our chosen life paths. For me, personally, to borrow one last song lyric from Mr. Mellencamp, “I cannot forget where it is that I come from — I cannot forget the people who love me.”

I encourage you, my fellow classmates, to do the same no matter where life’s journey takes you — never forget this town or these people.

Congratulations Rib Lake Class of 2021.

And, to: Adriana, Dakota D, James, Jolee, Kyle, Nellie, Hailey Johnson, Ashton, Zeph, Collin, Ryan, Audrey, Bud, Haylee Scotty, Matthew, Brock, and Dakota T. best wishes as you continue to pursue your dreams, whether that’s right here in our small town or elsewhere.

— Carter Scheithauer

James Doman received the Ethel and Edward Ziemke Scholarship.