By Hilary Carignan
Joe Juranitch has been a fixture at Minnetonka High School for 11 years. He’s served as a hall monitor, parking lot attendant, weight room supervisor, and most recently, a supervisory paraprofessional in Mini-School. As most people know, Joe is also Ragnar, the mascot for the Minnesota Vikings. This job enables him to be recognized throughout Minnesota and influences his relationships with Minnetonka students in a positive way.
I found Joe to be an interesting person to interview. I tried to transcribe his answers to my questions pretty much as he gave me the information.
Did you get assigned to Mini-School or did you choose to be here?
I got assigned. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I got called into the principal’s office in August and this is what they said you’ll do.
How are you contributing to Mini-School?
Well, I think I have a lot to offer. I’ve been down the road a lot of these kids have been down, and I know what the results are going to be if these students continue down this road. I have a cabin in northern Minnesota that I told Mini-School they are more than welcome to use anytime. I don’t know. I just think I am fairly wise with these kind of students.
At first, what did you think Mini-School was going to be like?
In the beginning, if I’m gonna be very honest with you, I was afraid. I didn’t like the idea. It wasn’t my choice and I had no say in the matter. You know, me and the Mini-School kids always butted heads. I think it was more they didn’t understand me and I didn’t understand them. I think the staff didn’t understand me and I didn’t understand them. I know it was a lot of changing on my part and understanding and, to be honest, I think I am in this because God is teaching me patience. To be in Mini requires a ton of patience.
I also see that Mini isn’t black and white. There’s a lot of gray. You’ve got to take a step back and think, why is this student acting like this, what’s going on. More often than not, it will come out why they are acting the way they are. They’ve got a lot of issues at home, a lot of issues being teens, a lot of school issues. So I don’t think it’s directed at me, but they are just frustrated. In the beginning I didn’t like it at all and I was extremely bitter. I didn’t want to be up there. But my attitude has changed. I took the attitude that I could be a real jerk about this, or I could decide, OK, this is my assignment and I’m gonna do it to the best of my ability. Joyce Rief had told me to give it a year and see how I do.
People have to understand that the problems kids have in Mini-School are the same kind of problems mainstream kids have. I think I can identify with Mini kids. I really struggled hard in school. Some of the teachers used to make fun of my report card, saying it looked like a Christmas tree. I think our goal in Mini-School is to keep you kids focused and keep you on track. You’re gonna have your down days, but we as adults have our down days, too. We have issues, it’s just our issues are different than yours.
When I first got into Mini, I thought the first thing to do is to get into somebody’s face. You can’t do that. You’ve got to remember that a lot of these students have been pushed around by adults. Then I come along and I’m gonna teach them discipline and teach them the right ways. Well, they look upon me as the same as these adults and parents that push them around, put them down, don’t build them up. Kids have a lot of free time and parents don’t care. Parents are at the point right now where they say, here’s a credit card, here’s a car, me and dad have our own entertaining to do, and I see that with the mainstream kids, too. We as a society will pay for that some day, and I see it happening as you and I are speaking right now. It takes quality time, a mother and a father, it takes both of them to spend time with kids. If you don’t do it now, you’ll pay for it. There we have it all in a nutshell.
What are your ideas about the program?
Everybody needs to take math and writing, something that’s gonna help them function through life. To give you an example, I am 36 years old and I have a hard time reading a ruler. I think we should be teaching what is so important about a ruler, like you’re gonna need it if you’re going to build anything, if you’re going to measure anything or if you like to sew your own clothes. I think it is a rude awakening to students once they get out of school here in Mini. I would like to know what is the success rate, who goes to college. I’m not basing success on college, by no means, but to get any kind of decent job these days, you better have some kind of trade.
Do you think it’s smart for the Mini students to be here?
I see a lot of kids that don’t want to be here. We give them chances time and time again and over and over, and I feel we should let them go. Let them go out and flip those burgers, let them go pump the gas. When they’re tired of that whole scene and are ready to get their education they can come back, when they’re ready to go by our rules.
Also, I would like to see Mini-School target towards getting you kids back on track. I don’t think we should keep kids in Mini from 10th grade until they graduate. I would like to see these kids get back on track and back in mainstream. It’s a comfort zone up in Mini, let’s face it, and it’s not gonna be like that in a work place when you get a job.
Do you think the students are learning what they need to graduate?
No, I don’t. I don’t know why everybody else in the building here is learning about computers, but Mini-School isn’t. Computers are the way of the future. That how you’re going to survive some day. Why aren’t we teaching that?
Have you mentioned this to the staff at all?
No, I have not. Just sitting in the classes, I know I’ve learned a lot. I used to be at one end of the spectrum and Doug is at the other. But Doug has taught me that there is a happy medium, and I hope I’ve taught Doug there is a happy medium, too. I used to look at Doug as a tree hugger, you know, save the world, Anti-motor, and he got me thinking about motor environment and all that stuff. Now I have taken an interest in skiing because of Doug. Also in snowshoeing, too. When I go to my cabin I’ll go canoeing more, but I still like my motors and will always use them.
Are the teachers keeping the students’ interest to learn and keep their hope in graduating?
I think so, I think they all do a very good job. I see them getting frustrated at times, but you’ve got to remember they have 75 students that all the other teachers didn’t want. Then everybody looks at Mini-School and says, why aren’t you fixing them? We have 75 kids that have problems and, for lack of words, are trouble-makers.
Is this your only job? If no, what else do you do?
This isn’t my only job. I work with Mini-School and then with a downs syndrome boy here at the school from 2 til 4:30 everyday. That little guy has taught me a lot of patience. I’ve enjoyed him and he’s taught me a lot.
I also work with the Vikings as the mascot. I go to different schools speaking on drugs and alcohol. I speak at youth groups and churches on my beliefs on God. I do a lot of entertaining for birthday parties. I just did a fundraiser for the Orono school district as the Viking mascot. I’m looking at getting back into my father’s company here. He’s coming out with a new fish hook sharpener. It’s rather unique and pretty neat.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Hobbies. I like to hunt, I enjoy fishing. I really enjoy my Harley. Me and my wife love riding. My wife has her own Harley. I introduced my wife to motorcycling. She never did any of this stuff and I started her on a little bike and built her up to a bigger one. Finally she wanted her own Harley. Who other better to ride with than your mate? I just enjoy being with her. She’s number one in my life, always has been and always will be. I contribute a lot of my success to her, helping me out to change my life around. God has blessed me with a very good wife.
I love going to my cabin, and I enjoy snowmobiling. There’s nothing I won’t try. I tried to talk Doug into taking an ice fishing trip with with Mini-School kids, but I don’t think he’s too excited about that. I do enjoy ice fishing, enjoy the winter, all four seasons.
What has been the best thing that has happened to you since you’ve been the Vikings mascot?
There are a lot of interesting people out there. My father taught me at a very young age to keep your mouth shut, keep your ears open, don’t tell people what you know, people don’t care what you know. Listen to them and see what they have to say, you’ll hear a wealth of information. With the Vikings I run into so many people, as far as players, actors and movie stars. You can check on my website www.mtka.orbackslashRagnar. You will see, I take pictures of people I’ve run into, like Kevin Garnett, Stephen Marbury, and Bill Cosby. I got to go to Japan with the Vikings when we played Kansas City there. Me and my wife got to go with all expenses paid. I had one appearance all week long and the rest of the time was ours so we toured Japan.
I’m expecting a lot more this year. I feel that the fans are warming up to me and starting to get to know me. Sometimes other fans want to fight our fans, and I can pretty much get in the middle of it. They say, aren’t you that Vikings guy? Then it gets defused and we talk about the Vikings.
I get to meet a lot of different people. Like I say, don’t read a book by its cover. You may look at some of these Mini kids and think, oh, look at them. They got really good things to tell you. Because somebody looks different on the outside, be careful of what you think or what you say because that’s not what always is in their heart. A lot of people look at me and say, oh, he’s a druggie or a drunk. And I don’t do either of them.
What was the worst thing that has happened to you since you’ve been the Vikings mascot?
The worst thing was I went out on the field with my Harley one time. I got called on it by the NFL. They said to stay off the field and then they put a lady in charge of me, telling me when I could go out on the field. One game I was going to bring my bike on the field, asked her if it was a time out. I was looking at her on her walkie-talkie, it was really noisy, and she nodded her head, so I thought it was a nod to my question. So I fired up the bike, went flying out there, and there was Warren Moon passing the ball, and I’m out on the 40-yeard line. It was terrible. I peeled around and got off the field. Kids that saw it on TV said the announcers said, you aren’t gonna believe this, but the mascot is out in the middle of the play. In about 3 minutes the head of security of the Vikings came down and said the NFL had just called. So I’m still kind of gun shy about taking my bike out.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I moved to Ely, Minnesota, when I was 15 years old. Then I moved from Ely to Minneapolis when I was 25, so I really enjoy the cities. I’ve traveled the whole United States when I used to work for my father’s company, and I really like Minneapolis. It’s a clean city.
What kind of childhood did you have?
My dad did the best he could with what he had. We were very, very poor, extremely poor. Did I have a good childhood? I don’t think so. Would I do it over again? No, I’m glad to be where I’m at. Me and my wife choose not to have kids. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do foster care or something like that. It was rough growing up. My folks and I have wonderful relationship, but I wouldn’t do a lot of things that my folks did if I had kids.
Who’s the real Joe?
Number one, God is very, very important in my life. That’s who the real Joe is. I try to base my life on the Bible and try to do right by other people. I’m not always going to be right all the time because if I were, I would be wearing a halo or I would be walking across water right now. I have made some bad decisions in my life. I enjoy people, and I enjoy kids. But as far as who the real Joe is, this is who you get. I try to respect everybody’s ideas. Do I have to agree with them? No.