Heartfelt help
Thumbs up to the Emerson Elementary School students who recently raised $14,114.40 through the annual Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser to benefit the American Heart Association. The list includes the top fundraisers, first-grader Ariel Seabolt, $1,350.68; third-grader Ethan Seabolt, $1,078.77; and fifth-grader Gabe Seabolt, $1,005.
Laying it on the line
Thumbs up to those who decided to file a declaration of candidacy for the May 5 primary election. The filing period, which ended Feb. 7, set up races for the Republican Party’s nominations for District 2 county commissioner seat, the three at-large county council seats and the county coroner. With 10 countywide offices up for election this year, there could have been as many as 20 races — 10 for Republicans and 10 for Democrats — and it sure would have been nice to have seen a lot more filings.
Generous stranger appreciated
Thumbs up to the generous stranger who recently paid for our meal at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Seymour. All that we could think of were all those people who exchanged smiles with us and made us feel so welcome in that small Midwestern town. We felt that they truly appreciated diversity as we were the only Indian couple in the restaurant. We were overwhelmed by seeing such a genuine act of kindness. This was a true holiday spirit in action. Can you imagine how that small act of kindness made us feel for the rest of our road trip? To the generous stranger, if you are reading, my wife, Sonam, and I want to say thank you.
Piyush Neekhra, Palatine, Illinois
Sectional titlists
Thumbs up to members of the Brownstown Central and Trinity Lutheran girls basketball teams for winning their respective sectional titles Saturday. Members of the 24-3 Braves squad, who captured the program’s first sectional title in nine years and sixth overall, are seniors Halle Hehman, Ashley Schroer and Zoe Fountain; juniors Katherine Benter and Avery Koch; sophomores Zoe Stuckwisch, Andrea Bair, Hannah Stahl, Emma Klinge and Kelsey Wischmeier; and freshmen Kalee Borden, Maddy Hackman and Camryn Thompson. Members of the 24-3 Cougars team, who won that program’s fourth sectional title, are seniors Emma Goecker and Hannah Sabotin; juniors Sydney Jaynes and Genesis Munoz; sophomores Hannah Durham, Kailene Cockerham, Kayla Goecker, Estella Kleffman, Emma Schepman and Katelyn Schepman; and freshmen Kathrine Whitmore, Bailey Tabeling and Emma Myers.
Thumbs up to Trinity Lutheran senior Rachel Sabotin for winning the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter butterfly Saturday at the Columbus North Sectional to advance to the state meet, which starts with preliminaries Friday night at the Indiana University Natatorium at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Keep on wrestling
Thumbs up to the Seymour wrestlers who earned berths to Saturday’s semistate in Evansville. They are Jake Rotert at 160 pounds, Sam Castetter at 126 and Nate Banister at 132.