Caring

Thumbs-up to 600 volunteers who tackled the 80 or so projects May 12 for the 19th annual Jackson County United Way Day of Caring. The labor and materials those volunteers provide give some much-needed assistance to local organizations, who often come up short when it comes to finding money, resources or staffing to accomplish their missions.

Super golfer

Thumbs-up to Seymour’s Paxton DeHaven who helped the University of Indianapolis’ women’s golf team win their first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship in Allendale, Michigan. DeHaven, on the tournament’s final day, carded a two-over 74 to settle at 20th.

Strong season

Thumbs-up to the Seymour girls tennis team for putting together a string of 15 wins. The streak includes a win May 15 against Floyd Central in the championship contest of the Hoosier Hills Conference tournament. The Owls’ 5-0 win against the Highlanders gave Seymour’s tennis team its first conference title since joining the conference in 1997. The 2011 Owls volleyball squad was the last to capture a conference crown.

A mother first

Thumbs-up to Lori McDonald for her decision to forego her own graduation from Indiana University Purdue University-Columbus to watch her son, Jason McDonald, receive his degree from Indiana University. That’s motherly love at work.

Philanthropy

Thumbs-up to the 208 individuals, businesses and organizations that gave $540,862 to the Community Foundation of Jackson County for the Lilly GIFT VI initiative, that began Aug. 1, 2014. That organization matched the first $500,000, which means the foundation had $1,040,862 in newly endowed dollars. The gifts means the foundation can boost grant-making by an additional $40,000 annually.

Top teacher

Thumbs-up to former Seymour resident Trent Tormoehlen who recently headed a team of four students who took the national title in the largest and most prestigious middle school math competition in the country. Tormoehlen, who graduated from Seymour High School in 1998 and now teaches at Sycamore School in Indianapolis, coached the four middle-schoolers at the Mathcounts National Competition.

Retiring

Thumbs-up to Roy Stuckwisch. The 65-year-old Seymour resident held jobs at Cummins Inc. for 26 years but stayed involved in education by serving on the Seymour School Board and the board of directors for the Indiana School Board Association. The former teacher also has been director of education and extended care at Zion Lutheran School in Seymour for eight years but plans to retire this summer.