Graduates head out into uncertain world

It was a joy to attend Saturday’s commencement at Chase County Schools when 34 members of the Class of 2021 were in the spotlight. Sixteen additional graduates received diplomas at Wauneta-Palisade earlier in the day.
    Both addresses from CCS Valedictorian Alexis Richmond and Salutatorian Charles Barnes had some insights I doubtfully had when I graduated from high school. While pointing out many of those in her class who already are giving to others, Richmond urged her classmates not to let that go by the wayside as they journey on in their lives. Barnes acknowledged the support he’s received throughout high school, something every member of his class can also claim.
    However, I feel a bit anxious as they teenagers head out into a world that has changed so much in just a couple of months. They are entering, for the most part, liberal, post-secondary institutions that strongly buy into the woke culture and the cancellation of so much that is good about our country.
     Just the past week, as an example, Penn State announced it was no longer using such words as freshmen, junior and senior, as well as “him” or “her,” saying they are sexist. A University Senate Committee on Curricular Affairs there passed the resolution, taking those words out of their course and any program descriptions because they were “male-centric.”
    Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but when I was in college, it never bothered me to be called a “freshman”—it didn’t cross my mind it could mean men only.
    You can read about a lot more colleges, and even high schools and grade schools, doing the same thing.
    We just celebrated Mother’s Day but there are individuals, even a U.S. Senator, and pro-abortion groups who now prefer the word “birthing persons” instead of mothers. It’s another effort to get rid of the God-given differences between men and women so we are all the same. Those differences should be celebrated.
    Despite all of what’s going on in our world, we raise strong young people here. We’ve been lucky not to experience the woke culture. As was mentioned more than once Saturday, our graduates had a lot of love and support from home and the community as they moved through K-12. That will take them far, and keep them on a path where their homegrown strengths stay with them.