In the past few months, for example, a principal has resigned after he lost his education license, hazing allegations have been leveled at the high school football program, a school board member’s charges for services to the district come under question, and the school board has put the current high school athletics director’s job in peril by rewriting the job description.

Just when you think everything’s gone to heck in a handbasket, though, along comes this: The Tonganoxie Performing Arts Center at Tonganoxie High School has its first public performance. The auditorium showed off its wonder and potential for all of Tonganoxie when the THS drama department presented “The Nerd.” The center truly is a community asset, and will be used countless times for any number of events in the future.

Patrons critical of Superintendent Richard Erickson should remember he was the driving force behind the district’s $25.3 million construction project, which includes the center. His vision will serve the school district and the city as a whole well into the future.

Yes, the Tonganoxie district has had more than its share of unwanted headlines recently. But no school district, or public body for that matter, is free of problems.

You’ve heard the saying: Times are never as great as you think when everything is seemingly going well, and times are never as bad as you think when everything is seemingly going poorly.

Congratulations to Erickson on the opening of the Tonganoxie Performing Arts Center. Under his capable leadership, we trust it will be the beginning of a turnaround that ends any additional embarrassing news.