Brookhaven and Lincoln County should be very proud of the sixstudents who were honored Friday in Jackson for their communityservice.

Lacy Gaskin, David Russell, Catrice Stribling, Andrea SmithAshley Smith and Amy Nguyen — all students at Brookhaven HighSchool — were honored by the Mississippi Mentoring Network fortheir efforts in the Big Sisters/Big Brothers program. All six haveserved as mentors to younger students.

Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore presented the awards andthanked all the students who worked in the new program. Heencouraged adults to get involved in mentoring, too.

Maxine Jones, manager of the Big Sisters/Big Brothers programhere, agrees that more adults would be a bonus. “We need mentors ofall ages,” she said. Now, the majority of the load is being carriedby students. For the just-completed school year, 110 studentsvolunteered to mentor. Jones hopes to see that figure doubled forthe next school term. Anyone interested in helping can call heroffice, 835-3982.

Only five students in the entire state were awarded $5,000scholarships Friday, and two of those went to Gaskin and Russell.Combined, the six students won a total of $17,500 in collegescholarships.

The ceremony to honor the young mentors proves that age is not aprerequisite for wisdom.

“It was so good for me to give up my time and my heart thisyear,” Lacy Gaskin told the audience. “Life means nothing if youcan’t say you loved someone.”

Citizens of all ages can learn a lesson from that.