The county newspapers will publish the picture of each graduating student with a few words describing their plans for the future. They will announce intentions to attend Tabor, Bethel, Hesston, K-State, KU, Butler County Community College, join the military, farm, attend trade schools or simply find a job.

(Hopefully, at least one will be brave enough to claim his immediate life goal as, "I plan to drive my Harley up and down Main Street all night and make noise for the foreseeable future.")

"But high school graduations happen every year and there is nothing unique, astonishing or even terribly interesting about them," some local readers will claim.

But seen from a Chicago perspective, this event is amazing. Because, incredibly, once again, between 90 and 95 percent of 18-year-olds in Marion County will graduate this year.

This stands in stark contrast to Chicago. Here it is estimated only 54 percent to 70 percent of Chicago students graduate from high school.

(Frankly, the Chicago school system doesn't even seem to know where it's 18 year olds are causing wild disparities in statistics on graduation rates in Chicago.)

What accounts for this incredible difference between Chicago and Marion County? Both systems put a lot of money into education. Both have dedicated teachers and administrators. Both have concerned parents.

Gordon Mohn, the school superintendent in Hillsboro states, "There are high expectations in our community concerning the completion of high school. Students see the importance of education for their success and they have positive adult role models."

I am convinced that culture is the driving force for education. In Marion County you are normal because you get your driver's license at 16 and your diploma at 18. To do otherwise will cause your parents to worry, your grandmother to pray for you, and your friends to think you are weird-and whisper things like "loser" behind your back.

The power of social conformity drives kids to graduate. And sometimes conformity is a good thing. Once the consensus about completing high school breaks down, no "please stay in school" program, no door-to-door canvassing to remind parents when school starts in fall, no clever night-school programs can take the place of a simple community consensus that high school graduation is "Just something you do-there are no questions about not finishing high school."

Kansans don't agree about the content of education. The recent Kansas Board of Education debate about evolution versus intelligent design has attracted worldwide attention.

(I disagree with both sides in this controversy. If there is Intelligent Design how do you account for mosquitoes, the human appendix and ugly people? But evolution does not account for why humans have become increasingly unpleasant since they climbed down from trees. Actually neither theory explains the existence of the Kansas Board of Education.)

Kansans don't agree on the fairest way to fund education or how to spend money within school systems. Some aren't even sure that home schooling isn't better than public education.

But in a crazy way, folks with these radical disagreements share-and unknowingly, perpetuate-a common consensus. Education is important. Young folks should get high school diplomas.

That is a good thing, particularly, when you consider the alternative.