Walz is remembered as an influential teacher and coach who mentored students beyond the classroom and field and helped lead the football team to state championships.

As a teacher and coach at Mankato West High School, Tim Walz gave out hallway high-fives, was named “most inspiring teacher,” motivated students to become educators themselves and helped create a turnaround story for the football team.

Now governor of Minnesota and the vice presidential pick on the Democratic presidential ticket, Walz is still remembered fondly by his former students and players.

“He was probably one of the most well-liked teachers in the school while he taught there,” said Katie Heintz, 41, who had Walz as a teacher her junior year of high school and is now the director of a library in the area.

    • JaymesRS@literature.cafe
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      1 month ago

      He had a replica Terra Cotta Warrior statue. It’s still at the school. He taught in a Chinese American experience school for a while after graduation and then would take students on a 2 week long trip to China at the end of the year when he taught in Mankato. (My wife was a student of his and we live in the community.)

      • ripcord@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        With no context including not noticing the original picture, I assumed it was an effigy of Trump.

        • JaymesRS@literature.cafe
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          My wife is one of the students that went on the trip with them the year she graduated, and apparently he speaks some Mandarin (if you asked him, he referred to it as “baby mandarin” at that point.)

          She tells a story about a moment not long after they arrived in China that was basically straight out of the movies. Their shuttle buses pulled up, and the two drivers were speaking in Mandarin to each other and bad mouthing the students and adults, and generally just being kind of rude and he walked up to them and said in Mandarin something to the effect of “Hey Guys, how’s it going? Is there some sort of issue?” and their faces just blanched. The company apparently then sent out other shuttle bus drivers to pick them up and take them to where they were staying.

    • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      So, because he retired at Conmand Sargent Major, it makes me curious if he’s still referred to his rank by service members (or any CO or NCO after retirement).

      If so, does that mean his civilian authority now outranks that - so as VP it would supercede his military rank?

      I have no idea what I’m asking I guess

      • EleventhHour@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        From what I understand, after retirement, any reference to rank is purely out of ceremony or sentimentality. I could be wrong about this though.

        His rank as vice president, should he get elected, would be an official rank. I believe it’s four star general.

      • Notyou@sopuli.xyz
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        1 month ago

        If someone wants to be referred to by their rank after leaving the service then they are a goober. It is an informal thing. I met civilians that still wanted to be called Gunny or Master Sargeant. I think it’s weird. You’re not in anymore, stop trying to relive your “glory days.”

        As far as VP, I’m almost positive that the VP technically is not in the DoD chain of command. I might be wrong. I think VP would still have some pull, but officially he wouldn’t be giving orders. Military orders and not “could you open that door for me?” orders.

        They would call him the honorable Mr. Walz as far as the title goes.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Excuse me - um, is the young man in the front there wearing a shirt that says “Big Cock Country”?

    Not . . that . . there’s anything wrong with that.

    • kboy101222@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      Just think, that kid likely wore that shirt to be funny in front of a dozen or so classmates.

      However long later, now it’s online being shown to millions of people

      • The_v@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I had that T-shirt as well. Wore it to school all the time. Never got a comment on it.

        • revelrous@sopuli.xyz
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          Our principal had no sense of humor and would’ve either: sent you home, made you wear it inside out, or duct taped over the offening four letter words. God forbid you dye your hair or get a face piercing.

        • JaymesRS@literature.cafe
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          1 month ago

          I also remember around the same time seeing Bear Wizz Beer, Dicken’s Cider, & co-ed naked “insert sport” t-shirts.

    • stoly@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      lol it’s in the official yearbook. It’s amazing what can slip by you when editing

  • pubquiz@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Image bottom right. Does no-one remember how to crop a photo to focus on the subject and eliminate distraction?

    • EleventhHour@lemmy.world
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      i can think of a couple of reasons why they didn’t.

      cropping the image would have made it smaller -> appear larger to fit the frame. it’s already a low-quality image, and that would just have made it look worse. it may have already been cropped, and this might be as far as they felt was reasonable to crop the image.

      layout can be tricky, and you don’t always get to make optimal choices. sometimes you’ve got to work with the assets you get.

      • Lookorex@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        Not to mention this appears to be from a year book and it was probably students doing the layout