With New Year’s behind us, most are stepping into 2015 with a new look on life. The beginning of a new year is often seen as a time to shed 2014 and embrace the change.

Having spent all of the previous year in Selma, I took the time to consider how the events of 2014 impacted our city, and what the community can take from them. One of the best ways to bring about a positive change is to learn from our past.

One of the better examples is the murder rate. Selma had seven homicides in 2014, which is an improvement from the 12 reported in 2013.

While it’s hard to know what exactly lead to the decrease, I feel as though the Selma nonviolent movement that occurred throughout the year may have helped to reduce the rate. The city’s No More Campaign, the Alexis Hunter Love Stops Violence Foundation’s efforts and the Student Union: Stop the Violence ceremony were just a few attempts made to prevent violent crimes in Selma.

Now that we’re headed in the right direction, it’s time we review what we have done to make a difference and brainstorm ways to expand on those efforts and continue to see new ways to help reduce the murders in Selma.

A pivotal moment of 2014 was the state intervention into the Selma City School System. The intervention came with plenty of changes that I feel were ultimately best for the school district, such as transforming Phoenix Alternative School into Hope Academy and developing Byrd Elementary School to Byrd First Class Early Learning Center.

Acting Selma Superintendent of Education Larry DiChiara led the Selma City School System to become a more transparent, innovative system. With help from the rest of the intervention team, he helped people who once doubted the district to have more faith in the good it could do for the students.

Let’s hope the Selma City School Board will continue to drive our system to reach its full potential and make the necessary changes for further improvement in 2015.

One of the most triumphant times of this past year was when the community raised enough money to purchase a new Sparky Fire Dog costume for the Selma Fire Department after the original was stolen. While it may seem like a small feat to some, I think it reminded the community how powerful unity can be in Selma.

We all had a common goal of bringing everyone’s beloved furry friend back, so Sparky can teach area children about fire safety in a fun way that has the potential to heighten their chances of retaining the information. When we put aside our differences for a common positive goal, we were able to turn a negative situation around.

Let’s let 2014 teach us how to take on the new year.