Thumbs up to Powell students topping the statewide average on the annual Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students, commonly known as PAWS.

But we also appreciate and admire Superintendent Kevin Mitchell for expressing the view that while he’s glad Powell’s kids are testing well, there are other, more important factors to consider.

In 14 of 19 categories based on the 2013-14 school year, students in Park County School District No. 1 outpaced the statewide average by more than 12 percentage points in the number of students who tested at proficient or advanced. In three categories, Powell students exceeded the state average by more than 20 percentage points.

However, Mitchell said the test has been altered so much in recent years that it’s difficult to know exactly how much stock to put into them.

“The only comparison we can have is ourselves to the state average and ourselves to other districts,” Mitchell said. “We cannot compare this data to any previous years’ data and even think it’s reliable, which is unfortunate.”

The PAWS test will likely change in the next few years, he said. But one thing remains consistent: Powell has excellent schools, committed teachers and students who receive a quality education.

“We try to get better every child, every year,” Mitchell said.

That alone is well worth celebrating.

PAWS isn’t the only indicator of the high quality of education provided in Powell schools. Southside Elementary School was named last week as a Blue Ribbon School, a national honor given to the best schools in the country. Southside won the honor last year, and Westside in 2004.

Thumbs up to University of Wyoming President Dick McGinity taking a challenging bull by the horns.

For several years, students who attended community colleges have discovered not all their credits are eligible for acceptance by UW programs. While the credits could be transferred, they did not always count toward a UW degree. This caused students and their parents a great deal of frustration, not to mention money and more than a few headaches.

During his comprehensive tour of Northwest College and Powell on Friday, McGinity, who took office in December, made it clear he intends to see this changed. Students will be given clear instruction by their advisers, he said, and the university and the colleges will work better together. Transparency and clarity are the keys, McGinity told the Powell Tribune.

A new UW program dubbed TREQ — for transfer equivalency — has been created and Patrice Noel has been named director of transfer relations. Noel’s leadership is a key step, UW officials said, since in the past several cooks were involved in this meal, causing many people to stew about what they were producing.

NWC President Stefani Hicswa said Friday she appreciated her UW counterpart’s action on this matter.

“I am pleased that there are now UW staff devoted to community college student transitions to UW. I am equally impressed with President McGinity’s personal attention to this important issue and his understanding of the important role community colleges play in Wyoming,” she said. “A strong partnership benefits both students and taxpayers.”

We could not agree more.

Thumbs down to the people who fly unmanned aircraft in Yellowstone National Park

It’s against the law and for good reasons. It disturbs the wildlife, may well impact or damage geothermal areas and leads to risks for park tourists and staff. The National Park Service, aware of the rising popularity of drones and other unmanned aircraft, enacted a ban this year.

But some people have refused to obey the rule.

So far, three people — Donald Criswell of Molalla, Ore., Theodorus Van Vliet of the Netherlands and Andreas Meissner of Germany — have been convicted for violating it. They have been fined, ordered to pay restitution and banned from Yellowstone.

There is a lot of beauty and wonder to observe and enjoy in America’s first national park. People need to do so while obeying the law. Not to drone on about this, but leave this piece of new technology behind when entering Yellowstone.

Thumbs up to the wisdom and foresight of Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt.

The Powell Police Department has turned down almost all offers of free military hardware, Eckerdt said. He said it’s simply not needed here.

This summer, as photos and video of police officers in a small, racially divided Missouri town hit the news in the wake of a fatal shooting, we learned a lot of departments have been accepting such donations over the past several years. One study said $.3 BILLION in military hardware has been shifted to towns where drunk drivers pose the greatest threat to people’s lives.

Eckerdt, a military veteran, has accepted a couple rifles to have as backups for the service weapons carried in our town’s squad cars. But he has not seen the need for armed personnel carriers, and we feel most Powell residents agree with him.

It’s interesting that in light of public surprise and opposition to the militarization of America’s law enforcement departments, some counties, cities and towns are trying to return the equipment. The Department of Defense is telling them there is a no-return policy; they’re stuck with them.

We are not facing that problem here. Thanks, chief.