Maybe it will work, maybe not. But it’s good news that the local school district boundary committee is discussing the possibility of sending all the graduates of a given elementary school to the same junior high. At a time in our history when there is so much fragmentation of relationships, there could be merit in allowing local children to have a better continuity in their school experiences.

The makeup of the local community has changed greatly in the past two or three decades, and more than 40 percent of current residents in Lawrence have lived here five years or less. There is much to be said for imbuing more youngsters with the old “school spirit” and easing their educational process by keeping them with children they know and with whom they can be comfortable.

Moving from the elementary school to junior high can be tough on children. Even a few friendly, or at least familiar, faces from sixth grade could help ease the transition.

In some cases, children may want to start fresh with a new set of classmates, but more often than not, children would like to go from sixth to seventh grade knowing they are going to be with a sizable number of students with whom they already are acquainted.

Lawrence and Douglas County both could benefit from greater consistency in human relationships, old and young. Many people who have “jumped around” in schools are envious of those who had a steadier flow in the educational experience.

Talk to some of the people here who grew up going to local grade schools, advanced to junior high and high school with many acquaintances and who have maintained and enhanced those relationships over time. They are inclined to tell you that any school process that promotes more such “camaraderie” is well worth pursuing.

One of the problems of a mobile society is that too many people feel disconnected from the people around them. If the local school system can lessen that alienation for even a few hundred people each year, it ought to do so. And Lawrence will be better off for it.