Aside from parents, teachers are likely to be the most influential people in our young people’s lives. And those who go beyond expectations and really make an impression on students especially deserve recognition for the role they play in molding the citizens of the future.

Being nominated eight times for the Albert Lea Teacher of the Year Award should be a hint that science teacher Ken Fiscus is among those special teachers. He won the award for the first time this week, and from all accounts, he deserves it.

The best teachers don’t just fill their students’ heads with information on a given topic; they fill their hearts with a passion for learning and for life. That’s the lasting gift that a student can get from school, long after they’ve stored away the contents of a multiple-choice test.

Fiscus and the other finalists &045; Paula Buendorf, Diane Heaney, Paul Larson and Kim Meyer &045; deserve congratulations for the well-earned recognition they have received, and a thank you from the community for their efforts.

Thanks also go out to the school district and the committee that made the selections. This annual award is a good way to both recognize outstanding teachers and put them on display for the community.

Tribune editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper’s management and editorial staff.