In this jolly holiday season, here's a big "Thumbs-up" to Oaklawn Rotary Club for again presenting the city's Christmas parade that cheered young and old alike as floats, marching units and other participating groups made their way along Central Avenue.
Sally Carder, retired president of National Park Community College, served as grand marshal for the parade, which had as its theme, "Miracle on Central Avenue."
Kudos to Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters, which collaborated with Ouachita High Country for garnering a first place award for its initial entry in the annual event. Second place went to National Park Community College; Park Place Baptist Church won Best Special Effects honors; and Magic Springs Water and Theme Park received a judges' nod for Best Use of Theme.
Other awards included Best Choreography (Garland County Library), Most Creative (Hot Springy Dingy), Most Decorated Non-Float (Futrell Marine).
And Hot Springs Braces received the Christmas Parade Award for "Why Hot Springs is a Great Place to be at Christmas!" from the Byron Cole Rhodes Family Foundation.
And a well-deserved "Thumbs-up" to the St. John's Catholic School eighth-graders who, as part of the school's Mercy in Me service program, wrapped gifts for 106 Garland County children at the Project Christmas Tree distribution site.
Many thanks to all of the Santa's helpers, including local school counselors, who support Project Christmas Tree, which relies on the generosity of citizens who donate gifts or provide financial support so the organization can fulfill children's and families' "wish lists."
By the same token, we send out a congratulatory "Thumbs-up" to Oaklawn Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School, Hot Springs Middle School and Fountain Lake High School that led local schools in improvements on Benchmark tests and End-of-Course exams.
According to a recently released state report, Oaklawn Magnet was ranked fourth in Arkansas and first in central Arkansas for literacy score improvements on the Benchmark. The school's percentage of students who scored Proficient or Advanced improved from 27 to 63 percent. Oaklawn's grade-point average improved from 2.80 to 3.41.
Hot Springs Middle School equaled Oaklawn for the highest ranking of any area school, ranking fourth in the junior high category on the Geometry End-of-Course exam, improving its GPA from 3.53 to 3.69 and with 100 percent of its students scoring Proficient of Advanced in both 2009 and 2014. Fountain Lake was the eighth-most improved high school on the Algebra End-of-Course exam and the percentage of students scoring Proficient or Advanced went from 62 to 89. With its GPA going from 2.65 to 3.15, Fountain Lake ranked third in central Arkansas.
Meanwhile, it's fitting to award another "Thumbs-up" to the individuals and members of various civic groups who ring bells for The Salvation Army at numerous locations around the resort city.
Moneys from the familiar red kettles go a long way in giving The Salvation Army the resources to help needy families during the Christmas season.
Our thanks to all of the Army volunteers who take the time to give to others.
The Thumbs Column appears in The Sentinel-Record the first and third Wednesday of each month. The newspaper welcomes readers' comments and suggestions, which should be submitted in writing with a name, telephone number and address for verification.
Editorial on 12/17/2014