CHEERS: To the voters of Texarkana, Ark. Again, they were not fooled by a school board and superintendent into voting money into their hands. If we had people in charge of our schools that were really interested in a better quality of education for the individual student as a whole and not in AstroTurf, baseball fields and of all things a very expensive building for the superintendent that was totally unnecessary there would be no need to ask for more money. Why dont we cut the number of administrators, give the superintendent an office large enough for himself and a secretary and save some money. This system has had larger student enrollments and much fewer administrators and run very well. If the new office building cannot be converted into something useful for the students, maybe we can lease it to Pizza Hut for a district office! J.T.M., Texarkana, Ark.

CHEERS: To the Texarkana Gazette for the picture of President Bush praying with the tornado victims in Kansas on the front page of Thursdays paper. We may not all agree with every thing he does, but it is so great to have a president that calls the Lord God Jehovah his God and is not afraid to show it. K.A., Texarkana, Texas

CHEERS: To all who helped make Highland Parks Field Day a great success! A big thank you goes out to the Texas High girls volleyball team and their coaches for coming out and working at all of the stations. We are thankful for all of our wonderful parents who came out and helped and who brought Little Debbie cakes for the cake walk. We are thankful for the men from TISD maintenance who set up the PA system for music and the cake walk tent. We want to say thanks to the Texarkana Gazette for coming out and taking pictures of our children having fun! Also a big thank you to all of the Highland Park staff and some of their family members for your help, time, ideas and positive attitudes. Our field day was a huge success because of all of you! J.R., Texarkana, Texas

JEERS: To the residents of Ward 2. You came within 16 votes of showing support for your Police Department. You came within 16 votes of doing away with some of the arrogance on the council that makes them think they know more about what the Police Department needs than 80 percent of the employees.You came within 16 votes of getting a representee of the common citizen instead of the rich developers. You came within 16 votes of ridding the council of a member who is willing to spend approximately $200,000 of your money to fire a city manager and start our city in a now famous ‘new direction. R.H., Texarkana, Texas

CHEERS: On May 14 while traveling through Redwater, Texas, I had the privilege to be behind a Redwater school district bus. A young girl stepped off the bus and right behind her was the bus driver who walked her all the way to her door with a protective hand on her back. It was not until they were almost to the door that I saw the potential dnger, a neighbors pit bull dog coming toward the child. This is a man that not only cares about his job but is truly committed to going the distance for the children placed in his care. J.H., Texarkana, Ark.

CHEERS: To the parents of Winthrop Elementary students who were so kind and thoughtful to send snacks for us and volunteered to do our recess duty during Teacher Appreciation Week! Also, to our student council for the lovely bouquet of flowers and our PTA for our beautiful gardenia bushes; to our principal, Mr. John ‘Skipper Ward for the relaxing mini-spa. Teachers really feel appreciated at Winthrop Elementary! C.I., Winthrop, Ark.

JEERS: To the entire Texas school system. No matter how sick your young person is, whether they are contagious or unable to sit up, they had better not miss a day of state testing. There is no opportunity for ‘make up for any reason, and they WILL do the state-mandated extra training. Worse the letter we got stated that my son had ‘failed the test! Next time, I will send my son, and let the school deal with the epidemic. S.B., Texarkana, Texas

CHEERS: Thank you to all who supported the Twisters Girls Softball Team with donations at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Texas on May 6, 2007. It was a success. We greatly appreciate it. God bless you. B.S., Texarkana, Ark.

CHEERS: To the Gazette and the animal shelter. People read newspapers to find out things they dont know, right? Some of the things you learn about may be disturbing child molestation, government corruption, hate crimes and sometimes the impending deaths of adorable puppies. But, knowledge brings an opportunity for actions, as was the case when two puppies were adopted due to their pictures being published in the Gazette. I applaud the Gazette and the administration of the Texarkana Animal Shelter for bringing the sad reality of animal over-population to the public. Like any disturbing news, it is also a call to action for anyone who is greatly disturbed by this problem. The recent pictures may have ‘ruined someones day, but it saved at least two puppies. Animal Shelter and Gazette, keep up the good work. J.S.

CHEERS: To the College Hill Elementary PTA. Thank you so much for a wonderful Teacher Appreciation Week. It was great. We definitely felt appreciated. Thanks for remodeling our lounge with new furniture and decorations, for the delicious snacks, the flowers, the spa day and the delightful gift baskets. We enjoyed each and every day. Thanks again for being so appreciative of us. College Hill Elementary Staff.

CHEERS: To the L-E ISD PTA for making Teacher Appreciation Week so special. The goodies in the lounges and the wonderful gifts were very much appreciated. Thank you for all you do for the teachers and the children of Liberty-Eylau. It is a great day to be a Leopard. Liberty-Eylau High School Staff