• We hope you had as much fun reading our recent front page story on the 2015 Junior Leadership Kershaw County’s etiquette class as we did putting it together. The entire Junior Leadership program -- taking some of Kershaw County’s brightest and most promising students and giving them the opportunity to interact with a variety of leaders from across the county -- is one we’re lucky to have in our community. The etiquette class, held at Boykin’s Mill Pond Steakhouse, taught these already well-mannered teens the finer points of moving through society, especially at a fancy restaurant. Parents often include the phrase, “What if you were invited to the White House?” when trying to teach their kids manners. Frankly, good manners are good to carry with you everywhere, whether it be the White House or the nearest fast-food joint. We were impressed with these students and their inquisitiveness and poise. We can’t wait to see what they do next.

• School district finances don’t usually make for exciting reading, but it’s an important topic. Whether you have children in school or not, it affects everyone’s pocket books in Kershaw County. That’s why we devoted front page stories Friday and today to the district’s current budget notebook and possible key impacts on next school year’s budget. Part of our mission as your community newspaper isn’t just to inform, but to educate. We hope such “education” provides a better understanding not only of what the school district is spending, but why.