The week's good news: July 26, 2018

1. Teacher's entire calculus class aces AP test — for the 4th year in a row

Iswari Natarajan gets an A+ when it comes to preparing her students. Natarajan teaches calculus at St. Mary's Academy, an all-girls high school in Englewood, Colorado. Over the last four years, every single one of her students has received a five on the Advanced Placement test, the highest score possible. Natarajan said she focuses on building their confidence, making sure they don't feel pressured. "We are here to learn calculus, and having fun along the way was most important," she told CBS Denver. The scores for this year came out this month, and "I did a double take to see every student got a five," Natarajan said. Students can receive college credit for taking AP tests, and Anna Jonsen said that without Natarajan, she doesn't know how she would have done. "She got us here," Jonsen said.

CBS Denver

2. Friends help Alabama man fulfill his dream of going to the beach

He spent years imagining what it would be like, and finally, David Thomas was able to see the ocean. Thomas, 36, was born with cerebral palsy, and had never been to the beach before. He lives in Bessemer, Alabama, and told CNN he's only left the county once. His childhood friend, Izas Fuller, decided it was time for Thomas to fulfill his lifelong dream, and asked friends on Facebook to pitch in so he could rent a special wheelchair for Thomas to go over sand. He hit his goal, and on Sunday, the friends, who are "basically like brothers," arrived in Panama City Beach, Florida. "I've never really seen anything like this before, because I never really go anywhere," Thomas told CNN. "So, to just sit there and look at it with my own two eyes was something amazing."

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CNN

3. Rehabilitated sea turtles get to race in the Tour de Turtles

With 1,000 fans cheering them on, Little Money and Coco made their way from the sand into the water off the Florida Keys. Little Money is a 365-pound mature female green sea turtle, and Coco is a 215-pound male loggerhead. Both were rescued by the Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys and treated for gastrointestinal issues. Before their release back into the sea on Friday, they were fitted with satellite tracking transmitters so they can participate in the Tour de Turtles. The Tour de Turtles, organized by the Sea Turtle Conservancy, runs from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31. During the three-month period, researchers are able to monitor the long-distance migration patterns of different types of sea turtles, and Little Money and Coco are of particular interest, as they are the only rehabilitated turtles in this year's race.

CBS Miami

4. Community rallies to help teen keep his hot dog stand open

Mr. Faulkner's Old Fashioned Hot Dogs is one of Minneapolis' newest eating destinations — and it's run by a 13-year-old. Jaequan Faulkner first started selling hot dogs in front of his house two years ago, and decided to try it again this summer. Someone called the city's health department and complained about the stand, which did not have a permit, but instead of shutting him down, officials worked with Faulkner to get his stand up to code. The Minneapolis Health Department, Minneapolis Promise Zone, and Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON) are all guiding Faulkner, and he now has a tent, a hand washing station, and a thermometer to check the temperature of his food. Employees from the health department also pooled their money to help him cover the $87 permit. "It puts pride in me to see that I'm doing something good for the community," Faulkner told KARE.

KARE

5. Man uses his own body to cushion dog's fall from building

João Augusto was about to walk into his apartment building in Brazil earlier this month when he heard a bark high above him. Looking up, he saw that a neighbor's shih tzu, Mel, had escaped onto a ninth-floor balcony and was about to slip through the railings. As Augusto shouted at the building's caretaker to get a sheet to catch the dog, Mel tumbled over the edge. The dog plummeted 100 feet, but Augusto managed to cushion Mel's fall with his own body. Augusto was knocked to the ground; Mel scampered off unharmed. "It was a happy ending," he told the Mail Online.

Mail Online