While a lot of the year-in-review stories highlight some of the heartbreaks and tragedies of the past year, there was a lot of good news in 2022.
If you’re needing a reminder about just a few of the great things that happened in the San Antonio area over the last year, here are some feel-good stories that should make you smile. You can follow the links to read and watch the full stories.
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People (and at least one animal) doing awesome things
- San Antonio’s Harini Logan won the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee — taking home a little over $50,000 in cash and prizes. She deservedly received a lot of national attention, including a TV appearance on “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”
- Two North East ISD teachers were honored in Nashville this year as winners of the Country Music Association (CMA) and the CMA Foundation Music Teachers of Excellence award. Johnson High School Band Director Jarrett Lipman and Roan Forest Elementary School Music Teacher Matthew Trevino were honored at an event hosted by Country Music Hall of Fame member Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn on Oct. 19.
- Comal ISD second-grader Peyton Crow was awarded the National PTA Reflections Contest Award of Excellence.
- San Antonio teen and pediatric pancreatitis warrior Rebecca Taylor raised more than $2 million to fight pediatric pancreatitis.
- Savannah Rose was chosen to be an ambassador to help kick off Down Syndrome Awareness Month on a billboard in Times Square in September.
- Bambi joined the therapy animal team at Methodist Hospital to become the first hospital-based therapy horse in the state of Texas.
- A San Antonio family donated their 1932 Ford Model B to the National Museum of American History. They were the original owners.
- San Antonio Fire Department member Albert Pedroza reported for duty for the first time since undergoing a double lung transplant.
- We talked to a San Antonio woman, Courtney Kimball, who co-founded the nonprofit One Common Thread, helping women in Honduras earn a living by handmaking little hexagon pieces for quilts.
- We learned about Janie Barrera — the longtime leader of the nonprofit lender LiftFund who earned her MBA from the University of the Incarnate Word after becoming a nun.
- You can read about this heartwarming story of the double adoption of four siblings during National Adoption Awareness Month.
- Laika Cheesecake and Espresso, a Ukrainian-owned cheesecake shop in San Antonio raised thousands of dollars to donate to the country’s army. Customers lined up for hours to support the cause.
- A San Antonio businessman handed out water, hygiene kits and clothes to people experiencing homelessness, as well as to some migrants that have arrived in San Antonio.
- A San Antonio single mom-of-three started hosting a food distribution twice a month for her East Side neighborhood. She was inspired to give back after getting help from the San Antonio Food Bank.
- People in San Antonio donated more than 1,855 pairs of shoes during Zapatos’ annual Share the Shoes campaign.
- KSAT Community helped raise $14,000 for Red Cross to support Hurricane Fiona relief efforts.
Celebrating local sports
- UTSA celebrated its C-USA Conference championship after a 48-27 domination over North Texas in the championship game. They were cheered on during a Rowdy River Rally at the Arneson River Theater. The Roadrunners reeled in 27 all-conference certificates and three C-USA All-Freshman Team selections. C-USA named quarterback Frank Harris Most Valuable Player, Kevorian Barnes was named C-USA Freshman of the Year and Jeff Traylor was C-USA Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. And Harris announced he will come back for one more season with the Roadrunners.
- The first-ever KSAT Pigskin Classic showcased six local high school football teams in a triple-header at the Alamodome on Aug. 27, 2022.
- For the first time in program history, Boerne played in the state championship game. They suffered a heartbreaking loss in AT&T Stadium, but it was a spectacular year. The Greyhounds finish their historic season with a 15-1 overall record.
- Poth High School also played for the state championship in the UIL Class 3A Division II, ending their season with a 14-2 overall record.
- Two area high school water polo teams made history and became the first programs to advance to the inaugural UIL State tournament.
- Five teams from the greater San Antonio area played for UIL State titles in baseball and softball this year.
- The Reagan High School girls golf team won the state championship.
- Four Comal ISD robotics teams qualified for the state championship.
Banner year for San Antonio Zoo
- Dr. Dante Fenolio, vice president of conservation and research for the San Antonio Zoo, was awarded the Humane Hero Award by the American Humane organization.
- The zoo was recognized by the Zoological Association of America for being the only known institution in the United States to successfully breed the endangered psychedelic rock gecko and sent more than 18,000 critically endangered toad tadpoles to native Puerto Rico.
- It was named the best zoo in Texas and No. 2 in the U.S. for its animal welfare, education, and conservation efforts.
- SA Zoo’s Tim Morrow and Dr. Tarah Hadley were named in the Top 50 Zoo and Aquarium Influencer List.
This story is just cool
- We got an exclusive tour of a San Antonio home with a backyard cave.
This list may seem long, but it’s just a small percentage of the good news and great people we’ve featured on KSAT this year. We look forward to covering more good-news stories in 2023.
You can read many more stories about people doing good things on the Something Good page on our website.