To students in Melinda Talamantes’ fourth-grade class at Lakeview Elementary School.

Congratulations to students in Melinda Talamantes’ class at Lakeview Elementary School for being one of the classes chosen across the nation to see an advanced screening of the movie “Wonder” later this month.

The students submitted sayings about kindness and acceptance and in return get to travel to Owatonna Thursday to watch the movie.

The class read “Wonder” as their first book of the year, which Talamantes said she does to set the classroom community.

“Wonder” follows August “Auggie” Pullman, who starts at a new school. Born with a facial difference, Auggie tries to teach the other kids about what it means to look for beauty on the inside.

Great job, Lakeview students. Never forget the life lessons you’ve learned about that story.

To the start of construction on the new Albert Lea airport arrival and departure building.

It is still several months in the making, but we were pleased to see work begin for the new Albert Lea airport arrival and departure building.

Crews demolished the old building last week in preparation for the new 4,500-square-foot, $2.15 million building, which is slated to be complete next May.

Though this project took a little longer to get going, we believe it was a good project to do while the state and federal resources were there to support a majority of the funding.

More than $1.7 million for the project is coming from state and federal sources, and the city is expected to pay a little less than $436,500 for the project.

To Albert Lea’s new girls’ hockey coach.

Welcome to new Albert Lea girls’ hockey coach Josh Funk, who will lead the team when the season starts up in a few weeks.

A Twin Cities native, Funk played hockey and baseball at Gustavus Adolphus College. He started his coaching career in Shakopee, bringing the A Pee Wee hockey team to the regional tournament for the first time. He later coached the A Bantam squad before becoming an assistant coach at Miami University in Ohio as a graduate student.

Funk was an assistant coach for the Sugar Land Imperials hockey team in the NA3HL hockey league in Texas before becoming an assistant coach at St. Catherine University in St. Paul for one year.

We wish him and the players the best of luck this season.

To Albert Lea’s former wrestling coach who was arrested earlier this month for public intoxication.

It was disappointing to hear that Albert Lea’s former wrestling coach Andy Hackenmueller was arrested earlier this month for public intoxication outside Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood.

Hackenmueller had been hired to replace longtime head wrestling coach Larry Goodnature, who retired earlier this year. He had worked with the team for a few years under Goodnature’s leadership after spending two years as head coach in Rush City.

Whether you agree or disagree with the school district’s decision to rescind his coaching contract, we hope everyone can learn lessons from this unfortunate decision.