Record river levels continue to slowly inch down, making the river take less and less of our attention away from the usual passages of time.

This week marked a milestone for hundreds of area students — the end of a school year.

For the Class of 2011, the rest of their lives stand before them. Some will go to college, some to the military, and others will go into the workforce soon.

We hope, however, that regardless of where they go and what they do, that the class of 2011 will make Natchez and the rest of the Miss-Lou proud.

Each graduate should take pride in their accomplishments, but also pride in their upbringing in our community, reflecting that pride back to any and everyone in which they come in contact in the years ahead.

Although our area may not have some of the cultural draws that large, metropolitan areas may have, our community has a heritage, history and culture that is unique.

We wish the best of luck to graduates as they seek to continue their education or join the grown-up work force.

We do hope, however, that they will strongly consider working hard to find a way to seek their fortunes here at home, too.

If graduates can find a way to stay close to home with their careers, we know our community will be improved due to their involvement here.