Thumbs up to all those who planted gardens for the greater good this season, or who are participating in community gardens, from Saco to Kennebunk. Many of these plots are being used to teach youth about healthy eating, while others are for private use and still others send their bounty to help the hungry. Planting and watching crops grow can be a very satisfying experience and helps connect us with the food we eat and the land on which we live. These community gardens go a step further, helping people meet others in their town and spread the fruits of their labors.

Thumbs down to the atmosphere in Lyman, where petitions are circulating and some interactions have become uncomfortable, largely in response to the selectmen’s decision to pursue a lawsuit against Selectman Steven Marble. Residents have every right to oppose the selectmen’s decision, and to attempt to recall Selectman Norman Hutchins, but this should all be done in a respectful, adult manner without making it personal. The signs posted in town that disparage Hutchins are out of line and should have been removed some time ago. Town employees who work in town hall have expressed their discomfort at the divisive situation in town and we join them in asking everyone to tone it down, even as they pursue different goals. Democracy requires respect and no one listens to the other side without it.

Thumbs up to the instructors, volunteers and participants with AmpSurf, a traveling programto teach amputees and others with disabilities how to surf. The non-profit is based in California, but its founder, Dana Cummings, is a Maine native and was happy to bring the program back to his home state, in York Beach late last week. We’re glad he did, as it gave people a chance to experience this unique offering and perhaps build self-confidence by learning a new skill at which they can succeed despite their disabilities.

Thumbs up to Virginia Drouin, principal of Alfred Elementary School, and to all the parent volunteers and donors who made possible the purchase of a brand new playground for the school. This new structure, which replaces a pressure-treated wood playground that was about 17 years old, is a major improvement for students there. It could not have been purchased without the grant-writing efforts of parent Lara Sargent and the efforts of Drouin and many, many others to run fundraisers for two years straight and garner donations from the community’s generous businesses. This entire effort is a testament to the strength of the Alfred community and a feather in the cap of Regional School Unit 57.

Thumbs up to the Waterborough Historical Society and all of its supporters, who helped preserve and renovate the Deering’s Ridge one-room schoolhouse and bring it to the site of the Taylor-Frey-Leavitt House Museum. These schoolhouses, once such a staple of every small town, are disappearing, and without being able to set foot in one, it’s harder to understand what it must have been like to attend school there. Like the Town of Buxton, Waterboro now has a fully restored and functional schoolhouse for today’s youth to visit, so they can better comprehend the differences between today’s educational environment and that of their great-grandparents.