Speech and debate wunderkinds

All the hard work and hours of researching, writing, speaking and debating come to fruition this weekend for high school students.

State tournaments in Columbia Falls, Missoula and Ennis will crown champions in Montana speech — and local schools are in the running for honors at all levels.

Perennial powerhouses Columbia Falls (seeking its 10th straight Class A title), Glacier (making a drive for five straight titles in Class AA) and Flathead (which won its first state speech title 100 years ago) will vie for top honors. Meanwhile Bigfork has a shot in Class B and Whitefish also is taking a big contingent to the Class A meet.

Good luck to all our debaters and speakers this weekend.

Graduation matters!

Speaking of academic excellence, congratulations are in order for most of the local high schools, which not only surpassed the state average in graduation rates for 2014 but also showed improvement over prior year.

Bigfork High School, in particular, soared. While the state reported an average graduate rate of 85.4 percent, Bigfork achieved a 95.2 percent rate.

Of course, academic excellence is not measured by statistics, but having a benchmark such as this provides reassurance to parents that their children’s education is in good hands.

Dog’s plight touches hearts

Readers were touched by the story of Annie Oakley, and so were we.

Annie is the beloved 5-year-old yellow Labrador retriever that was rescued from a burning Olney home Jan. 18 by the homeowner. The dog is making a comeback from severe burns, and was featured in two recent stories in the Inter Lake.

With the help of a friend of the homeowner and veterinary technician Megan Evans, Annie has received possibly life-saving care.

Annie’s plight also attracted a great public response — an online gofundme.com campaign had raised $5,675 (after initially asking for only $2,500) to pay for Annie’s care and recovery.

Thanks to our readers for their generosity.