Remember that snowstorm, when everything shut down for a couple of days earlier this month, then the sun eventually warmed enough to melt it away? We wouldn’t blame you if you chose to forget it, spring being (we hope) right around the corner.

However, we shouldn’t forget the outstanding job that local and state road crews did in making roads passable after a treacherous mix of rain, then sleet, then snow blanketed the region.

And we also should give ourselves a little pat on the back. So many motorists wisely heeded the warnings and stayed off the roads. That gave crews the room they needed to do their job.

We don’t always get so lucky. This time, the storm arrived with days’ worth of buildup, and we were braced for the worst. It could have been much, much worse than it was — if the weather had turned a few degrees colder, it would have made de-icing the roads difficult or impossible.

Still, after a significant winter storm, major roads and most secondary roads were passable if not completely clear just hours after the last flakes fell. Thanks are due to our city, county and state road crews who dug in and plowed ahead to get us moving again.

BCSC loses homegrown diversity leader

The death this week of Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. director of multicultural diversity Kimberly Easton, 56, shocked the community and silenced what a local community official called a “voice of equity.”

Easton, a Columbus native and graduate of Columbus North High School, returned to her hometown and joined the school system in 2019 after a career as a national broadcast journalist.

While Easton was credited for moving BCSC forward in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, she was also lauded as a leader who had made a personal difference in many people’s lives.

Denise Recarte, the director of BCSC’s English learning program, said her colleague was passionate about making the world and the school district a better place. “She definitely made me a better person,” Recarte said.

Condolences to Easton’s family, friends and the BCSC community. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched.

Worthy honor for local educators

Teachers from Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.’s McDowell Education Center were honored at the Indiana Statehouse recently for their contributions in teaching English to Afghan refugees awaiting resettlement. The educators were honored during Adult Education Day Jan. 24.

As some 7,200 refugees passed through Camp Atterbury beginning last year, instructors including Nickie Nolting, Arlene Parsons and Mayra Rodriguez answered their calling to teach. This time, teaching what English they could to people who in some cases knew none, in a converted warehouse.

““Not exactly the ideal classroom to learn, but everybody adapted, adjusted, helped each other, helped out,” said McDowell director Megan Schaff. “… And quite honestly, the Afghan guests themselves really supported and helped each other, and it was pretty awesome.”

So was the effort of the McDowell staff, going above and beyond with valuable words of welcome.