VIPs

Thumbs up to the 36 Brownstown Central High School students who recently were recognized by 35 teachers and staff members during the school’s annual VIP Breakfast. Held since 2007, the breakfast recognizes students for accomplishments or efforts that demonstrate excellence in attitude or achievements that have enhanced the classroom, the school or the individual student.

Girls Inc. Champion

Thumbs up to Mindy Roeder of Seymour, who recently was named 2023 Girls Inc. Champion during the Girls Inc. of Jackson County Champions Ball at The Pines Evergreen Room in Seymour. The Girls Inc. Champion of the year is a person positively engaged in and actively contributes to the community, serves local youth, especially girls, and embodies the spirit of Girls Inc., serving as a role model for the future and lives up to the nonprofit organization’s motto, “Strong, smart and bold.”

Manager of the Year

Thumbs up to Crothersville Utility Director Mason Boicourt, who recently was named the 2023 Alliance of Indiana Rural Water Manager of the Year. The award recognizes an office manager, a distribution system manager, a water treatment plant manager, a wastewater treatment plant manager, etc. for outstanding performance in managing a rural water or wastewater system. The Franklin-based alliance is a nonprofit membership association of more than 800 water and wastewater systems and related professionals and is Indiana’s only representative to the National Rural Water Association, according to inh2o.org.

Real troopers

Thumbs up to Indiana State Police troopers Clayton Saltzman and Austin Straub, who recently were honored during the Indiana State Police annual awards and recognition ceremony in Indianapolis. Saltzman received a Life Saving Award. On Aug. 25, 2022, he responded to a motorcycle crash on southbound Interstate 65 near the 52 mile marker north of Seymour. Upon arriving on the scene, he observed a male who was seriously injured. The injured man had suffered traumatic injuries to both arms and was bleeding profusely. Saltzman applied tourniquets to both arms to stop the bleeding. The man was flown to University of Louisville Trauma Center, where doctors were quick to let investigators know the quick actions of Saltzman clearly saved the man’s life. Straub was honored as the 2022 Trooper of the District for the Versailles Post. The three-year veteran of ISP is assigned to Zone 1, primarily patrolling Jackson and Bartholomew counties. In 2022, he had more than 1,300 traffic contacts (tickets and warnings), 155 criminal arrests and 14 driving under the influence arrests and investigated 25 crashes.

Leading the pack

Thumbs up to Jaxon Williams, 6, and Will Parr, 5, for using their $60 budget to purchase and donate food to an empty food pantry box outside the Boys & Girls Club of Seymour. The boys are the only two Lion members of Boy Scout Pack 529 in Seymour and have been working diligently to complete the Lion Adventure this year. Lion Scouts is an introduction program into Scouting for kindergarten-age boys and girls eager to be outdoors. Lions do adventures with their adult partners and other Lions every month.