Editorial: Five chosen for wall are good choices

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 2, 2005

Five more names will be added to Albert Lea High School’s Wall of Inspiration. We applaud the choices.

The five nominees &045; teachers Kim Meyer and Jeremy Corey-Gruenes and students Alex Larson, Danielle Reiter and Trent Miller &045; were all chosen for being generous and considerate to others as well as for very different reasons. But they are all important reasons.

Meyer was nominated because he is not only a good teacher to his students, but a good friend. He has been active in FFA and inspired 23 students to be state FFA officers.

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Corey-Gruenes was nominated for the faith he has in his students, for going beyond the curriculum to help students reach deeper into themselves, and because he obviously loves what he does.

Larson is involved in many school activities such as choir, theatre, Project TRUST, the figure skating club and band, but still finds time for others. She befriended a foreign exchange student last year and, after finding out she didn’t have enough money to return to the United States to continue her education, Larson worked to raise money by asking businesses in town to make contributions.

Reiter lives every day with muscular dystrophy, but she puts her challenges behind her and lets the joy she feels come out instead.

She continually has a shining, uplifting attitude. She doesn’t complain or let a bad word toward someone come out of her mouth.

Miller was nominated for being an all-around good person, inspiring others to be better.

The wall was started last spring with a dedication ceremony in memory of Josh Kuphal, a graduate of Albert Lea High School who died in 2002, after a life-long battle with spina bifida.

Though his passing was a sad event, many people remembered how he touched their lives. Josh’s family found a way to preserve his memory and the memory of others who have made a difference in people’s lives.

Made up of several tiles, the wall is located in the high school commons for all to see. People are nominated to hold a place on the wall by the student body and faculty members. Each inductee designs their own tile.

It’s truly an honor for these people to be part of the memory of others who have been an inspiration and to know they have made a difference in people’s lives.

We applaud these five for simply being themselves.