There are days when perpetual negative thoughts make it seem as if a cloud forever hangs over East Mississippi — we can’t land a big manufacturer; crime is beyond control; our roads and bridges are crumbling, and so on.

Of course, those perceptions are negative thoughts in themselves and can be unhealthy.

Thankfully, recent days have provided an antidote to the negativity — examples of teamwork, friendship and positive thinking that show good surrounds us.

The arenas for this good are local high schools, where senses are sharp and ages are right to believe all things are possible.

Hard work and confidence brought these bright spots:

• Meridian High School (30-2) won its first state boys basketball championship game since 2011 Saturday night in Jackson, beating Murrah 68- 59 to claim the 6A title. 

• Choctaw Central (31-4) won the state 3A girls basketball championship game Saturday afternoon with a 75-42 victory over Amanda Elzy. It is the Lady Warriors’ sixth state championship.

• Nehsoba Central’s girls basketball team (18-10) won a state Class 5A championship by beating West Point at the Big House in Jackson Friday. The Neshoba boys (25-5) placed second with an 85-74 loss to Laurel. It marked the first time the Rockets advanced both teams to championship games in the same year.

These high school championship-level performances follow a runner-up finish by the Lamar boys soccer team last month in the MAIS Class AAAA, Division 2 boys soccer title game.

And earlier this academic year slow-pitch softball teams from Newton County and Choctaw Central, football teams from Kemper County and Lamar School and the girls soccer team from Lamar won state championships.

The accomplishments go beyond the sports venues to auditorium stages.

This is spring concert season. If you attended the high school choral concert Thursday night at Meridian Community College, the Music in Our Schools program this month at Meridian High School, or any concert or play at a school of your choice, you recognized the talent, teamwork and work ethic among us.

All are worthy of a salute.

One of our favorite success stories this week was about a young man from Meridian High School, Keith Davis, who competed for a state championship in the Poetry Out Loud competition Thursday in Jackson. Keith surpassed around 2,000 other poets just to make it to Jackson and, with friends Michael Barfield and Christian Kilpatrick, began producing “Love Jazz and Poetry Nights” at Meridian’s Temple Theatre when he was a high school junior.

Keith may not have won in Jackson, but we believe he’s already a winner and has many more victories ahead. As he told The Star’s Bill Graham:

“…Just imagine what I can do now. With the help of a few trusted friends, I can do so much more.”

Thank you for the lessons, Keith, and your fellow students around East Mississippi.