To the Project Citizen program in Lake Mills Community Schools.

Hats off to Lake Mills special education teacher Gary Irons, who started a program that teaches students how to be good citizens through the development of a community service project.

Students come up with a problem they see within their school or community that they would like to address and come up with four possible options to solve the problem before settling on one solution and creating an action plan to get it done.

Seventh-grade students this year alone are working on nine different projects. Some projects have included adding pet waste stations at the city’s walking trail, purchasing a new garbage can for downtown, creating a walking history tour for July Jubilee and adding new volleyball courts, among others.

This is a great program because it teaches students to be solutions-oriented and that they can make a difference in their communities.

We would love to see this idea expand to all of the area schools as it teaches invaluable information about being good stewards of the community.

 

 

To reports of a person with the measles who stopped at an Albert Lea gas station earlier this month.

The Minnesota Department of Health warned area residents this week that a person with a confirmed case of the measles was reportedly at Freeborn County Co-op gas station on April 16.

Measles is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and the virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.

Health officials are advising people who were at the gas station between 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. that day to watch for symptoms such as a high fever, coughing, runny nose, red and watery eyes and a rash.

The Department of Health also advised checking immunization records. Expected cases could appear through May 7.

 

 

To Albert Lea High School senior Dora Ogunkanbi.

Congratulations to Albert Lea High School senior Dora Ogunkanbi, who competed in the state speech tournament last week.

It has been several years since the high school had a speech team, so it was particularly impressive to see one of the students advance to the state level.

We wish Ogunkanbi the best in her future endeavors and look forward to seeing the school’s speech team continue to grow.

 

 

To residents who have made efforts to help robins in the area.

Thank you to the residents who took it upon themselves to help robins in the area this week and last after a series of April snowfalls left it difficult for them to access worms and food.

The Albert Lea Seed House Garden Center manager said her business ran out of two shipments of mealworms because of people who were coming in to purchase them to give to the area’s robins.

With warmer weather here now, we hope this issue will resolve itself.