It is the start of a new year and moving forward is essential.

However, reflecting on positives can also be productive, especially when you consider events reported this week in Vicksburg.

The Vicksburg Warren County School Board and District 2 member Alonzo Stevens were recently honored by the state for their contributions to the local school system.

The Mississippi School Board Association bestowed these honors to the local board with district communications director and media specialist Christi Kilroy presenting the awards to the board during the December board meeting.

The board as a whole was given the Board of Merit Award for the second year in a row. The award recognizes the board for completing 100 or more Mississippi School Board Association approved training hours during the school year.

“We don’t know how many hours beyond that 100 that they went, but I’m telling you, I know the time they put in, just at the meetings is incredible, but all the preparation work that they do and all the time they spend in our schools and in our community is incredible,” Kilroy said.

Superintendent Chad Shealy said the school district has the best board in the state of Mississippi.

“Our board doesn’t get a lot of the credit it deserves sometimes,” Shealy said.

Also reported this week, the 111-year-old cemetery, which is in front of the El Sombrero restaurant, was cleared thanks to a city contract.

Equipment and employees for Quality Cut Lawn Service LLC have been working in the old black cemetery at the corner of South Frontage Road and Cypress Centre Drive, cutting and removing vegetation and small trees that have hidden tombstones and markers in the cemetery for several years.

The 1-acre private cemetery’s condition has been a problem for previous administrations that wanted to clean it, but the Board of Mayor and Aldermen were able to work around the problem, getting a local bill passed in the Legislature earlier this year that gave the city the authority to cut the grass in the cemetery as needed.

More positives this week in Vicksburg:

• The Warren Central High School Lady Vikes routed Jim Hill 53-37 in the Pepsi/Jackson Public Schools Tournament girls’ championship game at Forest Hill High School Wednesday night. After losing its tournament opener to Callaway on Monday afternoon, Warren Central (13-4) won four consecutive elimination games over two days to emerge from the losers’ bracket as the champion of the 11-team field. In all four of its tournament wins, Warren Central held its opponents under 40 points.