CHEERS: To the College of Southern Idaho volleyball team, whose ninth National Junior College Athletic Association Division I championship last weekend was even more remarkable than the eight titles that went before.

When Ben Stroud was fired as CSI volleyball coach four years ago, his program had won eight NJCAA championship in 12 seasons. The Eagles were hit with NJCAA sanctions, including postseason ineligibility in 2006. Some players left, others sat out the season.

Stroud’s successor — and former assistant — Heidi Cartisser started from less-than-scratch in a demoralized program.

By optimism, hard work and an eye for talent, the 36-year-old former CSI player and NCAA Division I head coach (five years at Chicago State University) had the Eagles playing national-caliber volleyball again in a remarkably short time.

This is very much Cartisser’s program now, and she deserves all her success.

JEERS: The popular image of author Stephenie Meyer’s wildly successful series of “Twilight” stories about young vampires in love is that it’s squeaky-clean, romantic fun.

Maybe not.

A new survey shows a troubling number of youths who lined up at Idaho theaters to watch the latest movie in the series think controlling and self-destructive behaviors portrayed in the film are OK.

The Start Strong Idaho survey, a project of the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, polled young fans last week about the series, which features an ordinary teenager, Bella, who is in love with a vampire, Edward.

It found 68 percent of Idaho youths who were polled at screenings of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” thought Edward’s controlling behaviors toward Bella were a sign of true love.

It’s not clear whether Meyer — whose father was born in Murtaugh and whose grandfather still lives in Paul — had that reaction in mind; this is, after all, a film based on her novel. California screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg wrote the actual movie.

But Boise State University criminal justice professor Lisa Growette Bostaph says the survey results are shocking, and we agree.

CHEERS: Apart from churches, is there any organization that has done more good for more Idahoans than the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation?

The foundation, endowed by the founder of the supermarket chain and his wife, announced Monday that it’s giving $1 million to the College of Southern Idaho for use as scholarships. The money is part of a$20 million effort to increase student awareness, success and participation in education after high school.

Statewide, $11 million for scholarships is aimed at five types of students: high school seniors who need financial aid and will be the first in their family to attend college; those enrolled in transfer programs leading to bachelor’s degrees; folks returning to college; nontraditional full-time or part-time pupils who have never attended college and are at least a year removed from high school, and students of academic merit.

The remaining $9 million of the foundation’s gift will go to the Idaho Education Network to help implement and provide course content for two-way video conferencing, and to an awareness campaign about educational opportunities after high school. Idaho ranks 43rd in the nation for students who complete postsecondary degree or certificate programs.

More than any other single source, the Albertson Foundation was responsible for putting computers in Idaho classrooms — a quantum leap forward for Idaho public schools. In 44 years, it’s given away more than $250 million to Idaho’s communities and education systems.