BROOKFIELD, MO. -- Many high school students leave town when they graduate and never come back.  But a local community is trying to change that.
    
All 75 graduates of the Brookfield High School Class of 2009 received a mailbox Wednesday.

The Brookfield Area Growth Partnership officials say their town has experienced population decline since 2000 and they decided to do something about it.

“We are never again going to let a class graduate from Brookfield High School without telling them that they are always welcome to come back here,” said Brookfield Area Growth Partnership Program Coordinator Marcia Cunningham.

Cunningham says this is the third year they've given the mailboxes.

She says hopefully the mailboxes will serve as a reminder to each student that they can plant their mailbox in their hometown.

They also showed a video of Brookfield residents who have become successful in the town.

“I needed that, I needed to hear the positive things about Brookfield again, just, you know one last time.  And they showed people, even my parents were on the film who came back and who were successful and who have families and they're happy,” said Brookfield High School Senior Bailey Spencer.

Spencer says she is attending the University of Missouri, Columbia to pursue a degree in nursing.  She says she thinks she could come back to Brookfield after receiving her degree because Brookfield has made her who she is.