Challenge champion

Thumbs up to Seymour High School senior Alexus Morris for winning the Maverick Challenge regional competition. She received $1,250 for placing first in the high school business planning competition, which featured nine students representing five counties in southeastern Indiana held Feb. 19 via Zoom. She also won $2,000 for winning the 11th annual Jackson County Maverick Challenge on Jan. 19. While Morris plans to save most of her earnings for college, she also plans to invest some of the money to get her business, No Borders, started. The translation firm will be focused on hometown hospitality and bridging the gap between native and non-native speakers in the community.

Merited

Thumbs up to Seymour High School senior Kaylee Waskom, who recently was named as a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program competition. The finalists are all academically talented high school seniors who will continue in the competition for some 7,500 scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered this spring.

Dedication

Thumbs up to Arv Koontz of Seymour, who has spent more than 50 years covering high school athletics in Jackson County for both The Tribune and The Banner. If you, your grandchildren or your great-grandchildren played sports at one of the county’s schools, you have mostly likely spent time talking to and getting to know Arv. His knowledge of high school sports in Jackson County and southern Indiana is seemingly boundless. Ask him and he likely has the answer to any question about high school sports or knows where to find the answer. That’s commitment.

Community excellence

Thumbs up to the Community Excellence Award winners recently recognized by Brownstown Ewing Main Street. They are Pattie Lubker and Debbie Helwig, Professionals of the Year; Barry Cutter, Educator of the Year; and Hiday Property Group, Business of the Year. At the end of October 2021, Lubker and Helwig retired from The Peoples Bank. Both started there after graduating from Brownstown Central High School in 1974, and Lubker had been there ever since, while Helwig finished with 38 years of service. Cutter, who currently teaches social studies at Brownstown Central High School, was recognized for influencing countless students over the last 40 years with the school corporation. Hiday Property Group, owned by Jackson County resident Bill Hiday, has redeveloped 128 S. Main St. and 111 E. Walnut St. in Brownstown, bringing new life to the community’s storied downtown corridor.