The week's good news: September 13, 2018

It wasn't all bad!

Kaylee Foster.
(Image credit: The Associated Press)

1. High school homecoming queen scores winning point in homecoming football game

Kaylee Foster may have had the best homecoming ever. On Friday, the Ocean Springs High School senior was named homecoming queen, receiving a large bouquet of roses and a shiny tiara. She wasn't able to wear her crown for too long, though — the Mississippi resident had to put on her football uniform and helmet, then join her teammates for the big game against George County High School. Foster, a soccer player, joined the varsity football team during her sophomore year, and she's been kicking field goals ever since. She had two during the homecoming game, and in overtime, she kicked the field goal that gave her team a 13-12 victory. "I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be homecoming queen, but I was pretty sure I was going to make that kick," she told The Mississippi Press.

The Mississippi Press

2. Surfing dogs in Southern California hit the waves for a good cause

From dachshunds to Dalmatians, dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds came out to catch a few waves Sunday in Del Mar, California. The adventurous pups were participating in the 13th annual Surf Dog Surf-a-Thon, benefiting the Helen Woodward Animal Center, a no-kill shelter. More than 70 dogs competed to be named Top Surf Dog 2018, judged on how well they stayed on the board — and their spirit. Kentucky Gallahue brought his dog Derby to the event, and told Inside Edition he never intended on teaching him how to surf. "I was actually learning to surf when I got here and he kept following me out and I pushed him on a wave and he rode all the way in," he said. "I was kind of mad but proud at the same time because he learned how to surf before me."

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Inside Edition

3. School janitor sets up 'giving closet' to help students in need

Snacks, toothbrushes, jackets, socks, deodorant — Carolyn Collins' closet has it all. Collins is a janitor at Tucker High School in Tucker, Georgia, and four years ago, after learning that two students were homeless, she decided to set up a "giving closet" for students in need. "I knew that they weren't the only kids at school who were struggling," she told The Washington Post. "And I thought, 'I'm going to do whatever I can to help these kids.' High school is hard enough without being homeless." Collins set up shop in a storage room near the cafeteria, and now teachers and other students help her keep it stocked. She doesn't want any student to feel ashamed or embarrassed about having to take items from the closet, and told the Post, "I just hug them and love them and let them know that I'm here for them."

The Washington Post

4. 95-year-old World War II vet breaks scuba diving record

Ray Woolley has spent the last six decades diving, and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Woolley turned 95 in August, and to celebrate, went diving off the coast of Cyprus earlier this month for 44 minutes at a depth of 133 feet. He broke his own record set last year of 41 minutes at 125 feet, and remains the world's oldest scuba diver. "I'm trying to prove to myself, and I hope to other people, that exercise, especially when you are getting to around my age, is most important to do," he said. Woolley, originally from England, was a radio operator in the Royal Navy during World War II. As part of his dive, Woolley explored a cargo shipwreck, and he told the divers who joined him it was "lovely to break my record again and I hope if I can keep fit, I will break it again next year with all of you."

The Telegraph

5. Businessman offers to pay college tuition for every senior at Wisconsin high school

It was not your ordinary first day of school for seniors at Luck High School in Wisconsin. At an assembly last week, Principal Brad Werner told the 34 members of the Class of 2019 that Dennis Frandsen, a local businessman and banker, offered to pay for every graduating senior who decides to attend a two-year technical college. The scholarship will cover books and tuition. "It was a fun experience for me to share this experience with the seniors and watch their faces and their eyeballs get big," Werner told CNN. Werner said he was shocked when Frandsen, who was born and raised in Luck, made the pledge to him out of the blue last month. He told Werner he wanted to help send teens to technical colleges because there are many job opportunities for skilled laborers like electricians and plumbers, and there aren't as many scholarships for students not attending four-year colleges.

CNN

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.