Forum Editorial: Back to normal

EDITORIAL MUG: Editorial art Vertical

The squeal of bus brakes in the early morning and the buzz of college students a little too late at night — all is as it should be again in Maryville.

Summer vacation sometimes feels like a half-remembered dream when the dog days of August let out their final howl, and the hustle and bustle of returning college students and kids clattering onto and off of buses send a jolt through our collective system. Even for those of us with empty nests, there’s a certain comforting familiarity that comes with the start of the school year — like we’re finally running at full capacity as a community once again.

We welcome all the new and returning Bearcats who’ve come from near and far to call Maryville home, even if only temporarily, and we encourage those of us who live here year-round to go the extra mile whenever we can to help them feel like the members of the community that they are while they’re here.

They are not just an eager workforce and an influx of customers for businesses in need of employees and patrons alike, but are ambitious, forward-thinking, socially responsible citizens who help to shape our own outlooks in ways noticeable and not-so-noticeable — but especially noticeable when they’re gone.

We also wish parents the best of luck with getting kids to the school bus on time again — or just to school with all items of clothing accounted for. Baby steps.

And we wish students, young and old, even better luck in getting back into the swing of learning. There’s no swing too big, we’ve found.

Yes, our community is thrumming to life again, and we’re looking forward to another school year.