Growing up in a town totaling 2.47 square miles and consisting of 4,000 people can be pretty rough. When the weekend finally rolls around, you look to your friends and try to find something to do other than renting a movie at Family Video and getting Chinese for the third time this month. The ever so typical “There’s nothing to do here” text you send to your friends when you get home from college, realizing how different your hometown is from your bustling college campus. Most kids complain about how small Sparta is, but when you take a step back, Sparta is really a Great Place to Grow.

Being home from Grand Valley for almost a month now, and with the Class of 2016 graduation quickly approaching, I’ve done some reflecting on how lucky I was to grow up in such a great town.

1. Sparta’s education system is, in my opinion, one of the best in the area.

We go through school with the same group of kids which was an experience unlike any other. Having such a close bond with the kids you have known since preschool is something that most people don’t get to experience. From Early Childhood Education to High School AP classes, our teachers and faculty are one of a kind and we are truly lucky to have them. Some of the most memorable things that happened while I was attending Sparta High School were because of the group of dedicated teachers who strived to make our educations as enriching as possible. The little things like Mr. Grennan teaching us how to swing dance in 5th grade, WK always being there for her students during happy or troubling times in our lives, Mr. Fix’s Holographic Universe talks, the haunting sound of Batch counting off pushups over and over again for his Fitness and Health class, or the constant replaying of the “I’m Matt Burrows” interview video that will never get old, as well as tons of other student favorites in all different grades. Our homecoming events are unlike any in the area, with a month of float building and preparation to battle it out between grades for homecoming day games, Mock Rock, and winning the coveted "Red Apple" trophy, followed by an always exciting Football game where the stands are packed to their limits with students and families. In college, you don’t get that experience with teachers because most relationships are surface level.

2. Sparta has a lot of hidden gems.

Restaurants like Maxine’s that serves breakfast all day, Trinis, who’s homemade chips and salsa are one of a kind (to die for) and a staple in the diet of Sparta Residents, or the choice of two Chinese restaurants Mandarin Wok or New Dragon, but everyone has their favorite. Events like the Sparta Town and Country Days roll in hundreds of visitors for the carnival, parade, beer tent, and fireworks every year without fail. As kids, we would beg our parents to get us the unlimited ride wrist bands at the carnival, and we used the hell out of it. When you got tired of the hot summer days, you could go to one of the many surrounding lakes including Camp Lake, Lime Lake, Long Lake, Olin Lake, and just spend the day floating around and hanging out with friends and family, and follow it by getting an Ice Cream cone from Tasty Treat or Sundaes in the Park.

3. Sparta is the typical small town where everyone knows everyone.

Your apples come from a farm owned by a local family whose kids went to school with your kids, your optometrist could be your best friend’s uncle and you don’t realize (it happens, people), your rugby coach could be a local church elder, and a teacher could be a friends Mom or Dad. Everywhere you go, you see a familiar face, whether it be someone you went to school with, or one of your parent’s friends that you vaguely remember, and it makes it feel like you never left.

4. Sparta is full of people who want to see their community flourish.

Every event held in Sparta, ranging from the Best Prom Ever for special needs adults in the Greater Grand Rapids area (and more) and Run Thru Sparta require hundreds of volunteers and sleepless nights by many organizers, but so many are willing to do it to see something great be accomplished by the tight knit community that we have built up. We vote "Yes" to raise taxes only to make Sparta as great as possible by adding sports areas, building new schools with current technology, or building new parks.

5. Sparta feels like one big family.

If something tragic happens to a family, the entire community rallies around to make sure they are ok. Whether an unexpected death leaves a family reeling or cancer is diagnosed, dinners will be made, prayers will be said, and go fund me pages will be set up with their total goal limits surpassed within hours opening. Sparta has been hit with some very tough losses in the past few years, such as deaths of beloved students, and it just seems to make the community closer. No one is ever truly dealing with tragedy alone in this town.

So, if you’re from Sparta, or any small town really, take a step back and a look around. You might not realize how many great experiences a few miles of land can give you.