Thumbs up to Randy White for his work in compiling the history of more than 100 old family cemeteries in Sanford and Springvale. White’s own research, and a collection of work from other historians before him, has resulted in an exhibit called “Family Cemeteries of Sanford and Springvale” at Sanford Springvale Historical Museum.

The exhibit opened in late April, and offers visitors a chance to glimpse into the area’s past via photographs and stories about the deceased. Many people are fascinated by the headstones they come across in remote family cemeteries, but it takes a great deal of effort to unearth the stories behind them. With this exhibit open, locals can get some insight into the life and times of their predecessors just by visiting the museum.

Thumbs up to all of those who participated in cleanup efforts throughout York County and beyond in celebration of Earth Day and spring. In Biddeford, Mechanics Park, Clifford Park and Shevenell Park got the star treatment from several community groups, including the Girl Scouts, University of New England students, Heart of Biddeford volunteers, Knights of Columbus and Pepsi Co. employees. In Lebanon, more than 250 people took the initiative to beautify the town by taking part in Lebanon Pride Day and Cleanup Day. These efforts and others are very important in keeping York County’s towns and cities ideal places to live. While we’d all like to see an end to littering, which would eliminate most of the need for pickups, there will always be those with no respect for their environment. Thankfully, their destructive behavior is countered and trumped by the hard work of many hands taking pride in their towns and cities.

Thumbs up to the work of the Joint Select Committee on Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future, which held its third listening session in late April at the North Dam Mill. This legislative committee is traveling the state to hear from business owners and officials in an effort to support increased vitality for Maine’s downtowns. Support for the downtown district is strong in Biddeford and Saco, and we’re glad to see the state take interest, too. Hopefully, this committee will be able to gather quality ideas and develop ways for the state to best support downtown revitalization throughout the state.

Thumbs up to the Biddeford School Department for its efforts to improve school security. The district is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to keeping students safe, and that means additional video cameras, secured entrances and panic buttons that connect the school with public safety personnel. Adding telephones in each classroom so teachers could call 911 in event of a crisis situation is also being considered for future upgrades. Schools have been a soft target for years, with easy access and little security, and with the violent events of late, it’s good to see a local school district taking concrete steps to increase children’s safety.

Thumbs up to Adam Horr of Dover, N.H., who ran to help Angel Sargent when he heard her screams during a recent dog attack in Lebanon. Officials credit Horr with saving the 12-year-old girl’s life by kicking away the two dogs that were attacking her. Horr was also bitten by the dogs. While he says he “didn’t have time to be scared,” it’s commendable that he ran toward the melee at all, as he was merely visiting a neighbor and had no connection to the incident. Kudos to him for being willing to risk personal injury to help out someone else. The details of this unfortunate incident have not been released, so it’s unclear what provoked the attack. Regardless, it’s a good reminder to supervise animals with children ”“ teaching both how to interact appropriately ”“ and to vaccinate pets.

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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 email at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford office.