Turtles, Twins and crazy twists

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If I heard anybody else tell this story, I would think they were lying. But since it happened to me, I know that every word of it is true.

Two decades ago, when I was still adjusting to my new life in Minnesota, I was invited to a Twins game with a few people I had gotten to know. As we were getting comfortable in our seats, the stadium announcer broke into our conversation:

“Please rise and join the Turtle Lake Elementary School choir in the singing of our national anthem … .”

I can vividly remember thinking, those many years ago, how cool it would be to have a kid go to a school named Turtle Lake Elementary.

Fast-forward a few years, and I was living in the northern part of the Twin Cities. My employer was in St. Paul, and the commute was horrible. Looking for a way to get around the bumper-to-bumper traffic, I found a back road that was a little less traveled.

As I drove down Lexington Avenue for the first time, I stopped at a red light where a crossing guard was helping kids get home safely. As I looked around, I noticed something.

“Turtle Lake Elementary! That’s the school from the Twins game!” I said to no one in particular.

Once again, I thought: “It sure would be fun to have kids go to a school named ‘Turtle Lake!’ "

Fast-forward a few more years and our family made an unexpected move to a different part of town. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to do my usual research on the closest schools, grocery stores, etc.

When we paused to catch our breath after the move details got sorted, I looked to see where my son would be attending school the next year.

Any guesses what the school was?

Yep.

Turtle Lake Elementary School.

And in one last crazy twist …

On a recent Tuesday night, in a full-circle moment that only happens once in a lifetime, my 11-year-old and his friends from the Turtle Lake Elementary School Orchestra played the national anthem before the Minnesota Twins game (joined by several other schools in the Mounds View School District).

And you know what? I had been right all along. It is great having a kid at Turtle Lake Elementary School.

But not just because of the very cool school name.

The reason it is so great is because of the herculean effort it took by the music team, teachers and administrators to pull this off for my son and the hundreds of other kids playing in the orchestra at Target Field that night.

So, thank you — to those in our district and far beyond who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make our kids shine, whether it is for a day at Target Field, or another day in the classroom. You are appreciated, valued more than you could possibly know, and are making a huge impact.

GO TURTLES!

Jori Senter Susanka lives in Shoreview.