Over the last few weeks, I have gotten pretty serious when writing this column. This week I’m going to try something a little different.
It’s time for some kudos. As I’m writing this, I just returned to the office after picking up my fifth-grade daughter from school. And after hearing her excitedly tell me about her day, I have to say kudos to Page Unified School District and Colorado River Discovery for taking many of the fifth graders on raft trips down the Colorado River.
For at least one child, it was easily the best day of the year. Those who attend our schools get to live in the middle of one of the world’s most beautiful places year round, but a lot of the fun events related to tourists seem to be out of our reach. I have been here a year and haven’t been able to take a raft trip down the river, but Isabella has and for that, I am grateful.
Several weeks ago I was critical of the Page City Council for using vague wording when going into executive sessions. I noticed at the very next meeting they had a couple more executive sessions, but the wording on the agenda was much more descriptive. So kudos to the city council and city staff for letting us know what they are discussing.

Last week I was invited to attend the nursing awards ceremony at Page Hospital. I quickly said yes for several reasons. One of those is I have always been a big fan of nurses.
My mom is a nurse so I grew up with a soft spot in my heart for nurses. As an adult, my primary interaction with nurses was when my wife was in labor with our five children. What I learned is while doctors have a ton of responsibility, nurses do the dirty work. It was the nurses who tried to keep my wife comfortable during hours of painful labor. Nurses had to help her go to the bathroom, come in at 2 a.m. to check on her and the baby and clean up the messes we left behind.
And listening to the stories told during the awards ceremony, I quickly learned there are some dynamite nurses at Page Hospital. They are men, women, young, old, and I certainly appreciate the work they do.
So kudos to those who have a calling to be a nurse and who work strange hours under stressful conditions to take care of the rest of us.
I could easily go on and on because there are always good things happening around us. But I will stop with just one more.
Kudos to Molly Redman, Kylee Hoffman, Theresa Wilmes, Danielle Solomon and Sofia Vine. The five Page High School seniors tied with perfect grade point averages, and they all get to claim the title of valedictorian. Over the last 20-plus years, I have written and read dozens of stories about the top students, but I have never seen five share the honor.
Good job girls.