WELL, SOME PEOPLE HAVE PAINFUL MEMORIES OF BEING SENT TO THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE WHEN THEY WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT THEY HAD OF ONE SCHOOL IN WEST ST PAUL HAS FOUND A FUN WAY TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH HIS STUDENTS. IN TONIGHT’S MAURICE STORIES. MAURY GLOVER SHOWS US
HOW HE DOES IT. I MADE A VOW. I WILL NOT BE A TRADITIONAL WHAT I WOULD SAY AS A TRADITIONAL PRINCIPLE AS THE PRINCIPLE OF TWO RIVERS HIGH SCHOOL DOCTOR AL JOHNSON GUIDES THE EDUCATION OF MORE THAN 1400 STUDENTS. HEY, MALIA QUESTION IS THE SPEECH TEAM STILL OUT IN THE COMMONS,
BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HERE, HE STRAPS ON A SPECIAL PAIR OF BLUE SUEDE SHOES. GOOD TO GO AND TAKES THEM OUT FOR SPIN. OWN RIGHT. MY FRIENDS DOING? NO, I’M MISSING PEOPLE BEFORE. I KNOW I’M MISSING FRIENDS. COME ON HIGH 555. I
DON’T WANT TO MISS YOU. IT’S NOT UNUSUAL TO FIND JOHNSON STRUTTING HIS STUFF ON ROLLER SKATES, HALLWAYS, LIZARD CLEAN. HEALTHY WAY TO HAVE FUN. IF YOU LOVE MUSIC, IF YOU LOVE TO DANCE , YOU KNOW YOU CAN DO ALL THAT WHILE YOU’RE OWNERS SKATING OR IN THE GYM. BUT HE SAYS HE’S
DOING MORE THAN JUST SHOWING OFF HIS FANCY FOOTWORK. SO I’M TALKING ABOUT. YES SIR. YES, SIR . THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW HE’S CREATING CONNECTIONS WITH HIS STUDENTS AND STAFF ROLLER SKATING. IT’S PART OF WHO I AM. IT’S JUST ANOTHER TALKING PEACE. ANOTHER WAY FOR ME TO CONNECT. THAT IS THAT IS NON THREATENING
, AUTHENTIC. UH FIRST I HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION AND THEN LATER ON DOWN THE ROAD WHEN SOMETHING MIGHT BE EITHER GOOD OR BAD WE’VE ESTABLISHED A POSITIVE REPORT ALREADY. SEASON TO GO RIGHT BACK ON IT, JOHNSONS LOVE SKATE RELATIONSHIP HAS BEEN PART OF HIS LIFE SINCE HE WAS A TEENAGER HIMSELF, ROLLER SKATING
AND ROLLER GARDEN IN SAINT LOUIS PARK. PUT THE BRAKES ON HIS FAVORITE HOBBY AS A YOUNG ADULT , BUT HE REKINDLED HIS LOVE FOR ROLLER SKATING A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN ONE OF HIS SONS BUILT HIM HIS OWN CUSTOM SKATES OUT OF A PAIR OF AIR JORDANS WORKING AT A
RULE OF RINK IN CALIFORNIA. THE SECOND I GOT BACK OUT THERE, THERE’S A LINE OF GUYS AND I’M ON MY SKIN AND BEHIND THEM. I GOT THE SAME BRUSH THE SAME FEELING. I’M 15 YEARS OLD ALL OVER AGAIN. THE SHOES WILL NEVER DO. YEAH. THERE WE GO WHEN HE
WAS THE PRINCIPAL AT AN ALTERNATIVE, HIGH SCHOOL AND ST CLOUD LAST YEAR, JOHNSON STARTED ROLLER SKATING THROUGH THE BUILDING ONCE A WEEK TO SAY GOOD MORNING TO HIS EMPLOYEES, WHILE STUDENTS WERE DISTANCE LEARNING MORNING. HE CONTINUED TO PRACTICE WHEN HE MOVED TO TWO RIVERS LAST FALL, INTRODUCING HIMSELF TO NEW NINTH GRADER AND
WHIPPING THE CROWD INTO A FRENZY . PEP RALLY IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE SCHOOL. MY HOPE IS WHATEVER I COULD DO TO MAKE A SMILE, EITHER YOU’RE LAUGHING WITH ME OR EVEN LAUGH AT ME. I’M OKAY. EITHER WAY, YOU’RE SMILING, RIGHT? I’M GOOD BABY, HOW WE DOING? AS A FORMER HIGH
SCHOOL DROPOUT, JOHNSON SAYS HE KNOWS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO MAKE SURE STUDENTS AREN’T JUST TRYING TO SKATE BY. I MEAN, IT’S SO UNIQUE THAT WHEN YOU SEE IT, YOU’RE LIKE, OH, THAT’S SO COOL. AND HONESTLY, EVERY TIME I SEEM DONE THE ROLLER SKATING DOWN THE
HALL. I GIVE HIM A HIGH FIVE AND I’M JUST LIKE ALL MY DAYS SO MUCH, MUCH SO MUCH BETTER EVERYWHERE LIKE YOU. YOU NEVER EXPECTED YOU SEE THE LIGHT UP SHOES GOING DOWN THE HALLWAY OR ACROSS THE GYM AT EVERY LIKE BIG EVENT THAT WE HAVE, AND IT’S
ALWAYS JUST LIKE BRINGS IN A NEW ENERGY THAT NOTHING ELSE CAN BRING IN. IT’S DEFINITELY UNORTHODOX, BUT I THINK IT’S COOL THAT THE PRINCIPAL HAS THE HAS THE GUTS TO DO THAT. BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF OTHER PRINCIPLES. WOULDN’T DO THAT. YES, WE’RE DOING IT. OH YEAH.
YEAH AND HE’S NOT THE ONLY STAFF MEMBER IN THE BUILDING WITH SUCH A FREEWHEELING ATTITUDE. I THINK IT JUST SHOWS THE KIDS THAT YOU’VE GOT A PRINCIPAL WHO IS NOT AFRAID TO JUST GET OUT AND DO STUFF AND BE FUN AND SHOW WHAT HE LIKES. AND I THINK
THAT’S GOOD FOR KIDS TO SEE MAGIC. JOHNSON SAYS HE’LL CONTINUE TO PUT HIS BEST FOOT FORWARD WITH HIS STUDENTS. AS LONG AS EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS. THIS IS JUST HOW HE ROLLS ANY TIME. I THINK I FEEL LIKE WE’RE GETTING THE SPACE WHERE WE NEED TO LIGHTEN THINGS UP A LITTLE
BIT. THAT’S JUST THIS IS BRING THEM OUT. LET’S BRING HIM OUT AND ROLL AROUND FOR MAURICE. STORIES. MAURY GLOVER. BOX NOT OH, DR JOHNSON. THEY NEED TO PUT A DISCO BALL IN THE GYM. THOSE KIDS LOOK UP THERE. GO AWAY. HANG UP THERE THAT BROUGHT BACK A LOT OF GOOD MEMORIES, THOUGH HE
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