Thumbs up: To all the positive things going on in Madison County schools to make the first day of the school year go smoothly. For kindergartners and first-graders, this first impression of school will help set the stage for their next decade of education.

Thumbs up: To the Anderson City Council for adopting an ordinance that puts restrictions on underage dance clubs and events. The ordinance goes beyond the mayor’s executive order issued in July, mandating underage dance hall operators to obtain a license annually.

Thumbs up: To Dr. Ron and Christine Davis of Anderson and the Indiana Rotary Club District 6560 for helping a young girl from Guyana come to Indiana for surgery for a life-threatening heart condition. Seven-year-old Roweena Wilson and her father, Rudolph Wilson, stayed with the Davises for a few days before going to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for a series of tests. Dr. Davis first detected the girl’s hole in her heart during his mission trip last year to South America.

Thumbs up: To Kyle Bennison, who has been assisting women at the Alternatives Inc. shelter to gain job skills that may lead to employment opportunities. During the 18 months that the job skills training program has existed, Bennison has helped nearly 150 women. More than half of them achieved some level of income. It’s a process of re-building the women’s self-esteem in order to move toward independence from the cycle of domestic violence.

Thumbs up: To the Anderson Family YMCA for taking the initiative to challenge residents to lose weight. Nearly two dozen people followed the weekly routine to the end. The first 10-week program ended Aug. 16 at Mounds Mall, with Brad Cummings taking home an assortment of prizes awarded by area businesses. Weigh to go! (The next challenge beginsSept. 9.)

Thumbs up: To Madison County’s new historian, Stephen Jackson, whose passion for history began more than 50 years ago with a book on the Civil War. In the ninth grade, a class gave him an appreciation for Madison County history. “If a community doesn’t share history, it’s just a place for people to sleep,” he said in an interview in The Herald Bulletin.

Thumbs up: To Cadira Greer, who has never let cerebral palsy limit her dreams. She’ll be one of 24 girls leading the cheers at this year’s football and sixth-grade basketball games at North Side Middle School in Anderson.

Thumbs up: To Mount Pilgrim Church and the Christian Partners for Racial Reconciliation for organizing the seventh annual free picnic at Anderson’s Jackson Park. In recent years, several churches of various denominations have come together to plan the activities for the event.