Thumbs up to Lisa Boisvert of North Waterboro, who rescued Charanay Pok and her two young children from their vehicle after it flipped into the little Ossipee River last Thursday.

Boisvert’s quick-thinking and calm most likely saved three lives, since the family was in danger of drowning while waiting for rescue crews to arrive. Not everyone would have risked their lives, dashing full-on into the river, to help Pok and her children ”“ but Boisvert did and she should be commended for her amazing effort.

Thumbs up to the Old Orchard Beach Town Council’s decision to deny a request for a community garden at The Ballpark site. Since plans for The Ballpark property are still in flux and oversight has not been well-delineated, it is best not to involve a community project at this time. A trial garden on school grounds, as suggested by Council Chairwoman Sharri MacDonald, is the best course of action at this time. That way, there won’t be disappointment if plans at The Ballpark change and the garden has to be abandoned. A garden may very well be a perfect fit for the property once oversight and planning for the site is in place, so MacDonald’s suggestion to wait a year is certainly prudent.

Thumbs up to those voters who attended the recent budget hearing of Regional School Unit 21 to let their voices ”“ and their suggestions ”“ be heard. It’s not easy for any small board to determine which cuts should be made when revenues fall short. Input from the public is vital. Board members heard loud and clear that the high school theater courses are important to many people and also got feedback on physical education and English Language Learners program cutbacks. They also heard that those in attendance favor a tax increase instead of school cuts, but they’ll have to determine if the rest of the district’s populace feels the same way.

Thumbs up to a proposal in Biddeford to limit public speaking to three minutes at a time during City Council meetings. Three minutes is enough time for any voter to get a point across or share an opinion with the board. Without a time limit, meetings can easily get bogged down in unrelated comments, lengthy ranting, anecdotes and emotion. Those who want to give a lengthy presentation to the board should submit a written document or join city committees to have their voices heard. Unrestricted public comment leads to meetings that run late into the night, which discourage people ”“ especially those who have to work in the morning ”“ from participating on boards.

Thumbs up to the proposed shift at Biddeford High School from content-based curriculum to skill-based curriculum. Focusing on skills is the way to ensure that our students are prepared for the changing job market and evolving technology. Critical thinking and problem solving will be more important in the economy of the future than being able to recite facts and this change will help the school environment better prepare youth for the work environment.

— Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.