Birdie: By Steven Bean, the North Moore High School graduate who went on to become a top executive with the global real estate consulting concern called The Situs Companies, for coming up with the ingenious idea to outsource 150 jobs to the firm's call center in his hometown of Robbins. Who needs to go to India when there are thousands of literate but unemployed or underemployed folks right here in America? Here's hoping some presidential candidate -- Robbins is familiar with one of them -- takes notice of Bean's brilliant idea and gets other big corporations to follow Situs' lead.

Birdie: By Chris Metzger, the newly hired head football coach at Pinecrest High School, for bringing so much energy and enthusiasm to his latest assignment. It's just what the struggling Patriots program -- and the entire school community, for that matter -- needs. The youthful Metzger wasted no time shoring up support for the school and its football team, which considered canceling its season at a low point last fall for lack of players, by hosting a Breakfast of Champions celebration. More than 150 gridiron hopefuls showed up for the first 6 a.m. workout. Keep up bringing that passion to your work, Chris, and good things will happen.