Good morning Columbus. What you need to know — nominate outstanding high school seniors ($200); no charge against teacher; video of semi-crushes-car; National Oreo Day

By
Scarlett Syse
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Greetings Columbus —

One of the joys of our jobs as community journalists is writing about kids. And we do that a lot — on our sports pages, on our classrooms pages and on our front pages.

Chronicling students overcoming obstacles, contributing to the community, wrestling with some very adult issues and working to find their way in the world is challenging and rewarding.

Their path is not always a straight line, and if they are learning honest lessons on their way to adulthood, it should not be. Missteps and failures are some of the best teachers.

For example, there’s Nick Green, The Republic Boys Swimmer of the Year. He’s a sophomore at Columbus North. Before his freshman season he was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans. Without treatment, he faced the possibility of not being able to walk again. Here’s the story about how Green overcame this big hurdle.

There’s also sophomore Rachel Sabotin, a Columbus-area resident who attends Trinity Lutheran. She’s The Republic Girls Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Sabotin has to do plenty of self-motivation because she’s a one-person team. Click here to find out how this solo force succeeds at a school that doesn’t even have a swimming pool.

We are looking for more outstanding students who contribute to the community, and we need nominations from you.

Nominees must be seniors at a Bartholomew County high school. They do not need to be athletes.

We’ll pick one outstanding youth per month, and they will get $200 and be featured in The Republic. Here’s the form you can fill out —

[embeddoc url=”http://www.therepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/03/outstandingyouth-1.pdf” download=”all”]

Got more questions? Send a note to Catherine Cooper, [email protected] or call her at 812-379-5652.

Here’s what else you need to know today —

Columbus East teacher won’t face criminal charge.
Two students recently noticed a rifle in the front seat of a truck on school property. Story here. Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash said the evidence presented in the case of doesn’t support filing of a criminal charge. Wednesday’s Republic.

Video: That scary semi-crushes-car accident on the Robert N. Stewart Bridge.

This story involved 4,200 pounds of scrap metal, a pit bull named Toof and a big effort to get the semi upright again. Click here to see the photos and read about how it all transpired.

What to throw a party downtown?
The city has some new rules for you to follow. Click here.

Final days of legislature: Opioids, guns, child welfare.
State lawmakers are down to the homestretch. Here’s what  legislator and area residents are talking about as this session of the General Assembly winds down.

News you can use. It’s National Oreo Day.

Have a great day. Send story ideas to [email protected].

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