Midmorning’s Paula Schroeder interviews Delores Henderson, principal of Rondo Elementary Center, about drop in school’s student attendance due to the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins parade and celebrations.
Henderson happens to be the godmother to Kirby Puckett’s child.
SPEAKER 1: Well, yes we do. I would say, though, we have a third of each classroom of children out today, and I'm quite sure that number is going to get higher as the time goes on, because we do have parents coming in to pick up their children. So I would say, by the time the parade and the Metrodome festivities occur that our building will be practically empty.
SPEAKER 2: Are you happy to see that?
SPEAKER 1: I think that I just said to the curriculum specialist and she came in and said it's sports number one or education. And I said we look at the total aspect of our children. And that's part of our life. Sports is part of life. That's an activity. We have to understand that we have other kinds of things in our life other than just the book, and that is what makes life so interesting and so enjoyable.
SPEAKER 2: Has the World Series been a big topic of conversation among the children at Rondo?
SPEAKER 1: Yes. Oh, by all means. Because and I think that the nice part about it is because I'm the godmother to Kirby Puckett's baby.
SPEAKER 2: Oh, you are.
SPEAKER 1: Yeah. So the kids are really excited about it. And of course, I have on a Kirby Puckett T-shirt today. And they're loving every minute of that. So they feel a tie and closeness there because I'm here with them. And it does make them even feel more excited about being involved with the World Series or any Twins game.
But they're baseball fans. They've grown up in an area that sports have been important in their lives, but they deal more with the Twins, I think, than any other sports in Minnesota. Because it's a summer sport, I think number one, many of them play baseball and softball.
And because of the sports activity with community centers around, and it makes a difference. And they really feel good about being a part of history. And now that many of them our seventh graders, when we won the World Series in 87, there's a true commitment. Here, we can really understand and enjoy the 1991 World Series. And we're going.
SPEAKER 2: Oh, wonderful. And what a terrific role model Kirby Puckett is for those kids to.
SPEAKER 1: Oh, is he ever. And they just love for me to say, he's such a humane person and a human being who cares, who loves, and who gives. And he is really a very humble person and just enjoys being with people and going out there doing what he knows that fans want him to do is play a game. When the game is over, he is the rest of us. He's done his job. He enjoys doing what he does. And it makes a world of difference when kids know that you can enjoy working.
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