2022-March – Jeffrey Griffin

Some stories are ridiculous.

Some people are far removed from sanity.

Some organizations function without common sense.

Welcome to a story about those people and one of those organizations.

Toby Price was an assistant principal at Gary Road Elementary School in Byram, Mississippi.

The principal of Gary Road Elementary was supposed to read to a second-grade class via Zoom. For whatever reason, the principal could not participate. Mr. Price contacted the principal via text message and was told, “well, go ahead and read.”

The assistant principal chose to read, “I Need a New Butt” by Dawn McMillan.

After the Zoom meeting, Assistant Principal Price was told to report to the Hinds County School district office and was placed on administrative leave.

Superintendent Dr. Delesicia Martin issued a letter of termination, saying the assistant principal “did not demonstrate professional standards or maintain an environment free from unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement.” According to WLBT, Dr. Martin also wrote that Price showed “a lack of professionalism and impaired judgment.”

“I Need a New Butt” is classified as a children’s book and is published by Dover Publications.

Some organizations. Some people. Some stories.

During Sophia’s kindergarten adventure, one of our favorite events was the “letter of the week.” It was pretty simple. And a LOT of fun.

The teacher would proclaim a letter for the “letter of the week” honors. Each child would bring an item to school, beginning with the assigned “letter of the week,” and share it with the class.

For example, a kindergartner could bring crayons for “C” or grapes for “G” or Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls for “L” or “D” or “S” or “C” or “R.”

You get the point.

We didn’t want Sophia’s items to be ordinary. Where is the fun in doing what everybody else is doing? Why be plain when you can be extraordinary? Dare to be different. Bold.

Robert Frost challenged us to explore the road not taken.

So be it. Right on, Mr. Frost.

The letter of the week was “W.”

Watermelon? Bottles of water? We don’t have a pet woodpecker and a class full of whistles felt like an egregiously bad idea.

Wine!

Not wine for grownups.

Kid wine. Grape juice.

We sent Sophia to school with several bottles of Welch’s Sparkling Grape Juice and plastic cups.

The teacher loved it. A few parents complained.

Fine. We won’t send anymore wine to school.

Especially not to Gary Road Elementary School in Byram, Mississippi.

For Toby Price and Delesicia Martin and parents threatened by the presence of sparkling grape juice in a kindergarten classroom…

I proudly present my performance of “I Need a New Butt.”

The Lion King.

Circle Of Life. Hakuna Matata. James Earl Jones. Simba. Elton John.

That’s about it. I didn’t know much else. I have not seen the animated version. The live action version of the film was ridiculously wonderful.

The national tour visited Tanger Center in Greensboro. Cool. We’ll go. We went.

I want Sophia and Miles to love musicals as much as I love musicals. I can’t force them, but I hope. We’ll see if they tap their toes or fall asleep before intermission.

I wanted it to be great. I wanted it to be spectacular. I wanted the audience to roar. I wanted the drums to pound. I wanted to be knocked out of my seat. I wanted the cast to have the performance of a lifetime. I wanted, I wanted, I wanted.

Oh, my. I needn’t worry. Everything for which I wanted, delivered. Again, again and again.

It was great. It was spectacular. The audience roared. The drums were pounding. THE LION KING was fit for royalty.

I knew the setting was the grasslands of Africa. That was not a surprise. I did not expect to encounter the depth and influence of African culture throughout the production.

It was a glorious celebration wrapped in the traditions and folktales of Africa.

The music and vocal performances were breathtaking. It was every bit as magical as I imagined it could be.

The ensemble danced from a collective soul. It was full of life, grief and love.

Technically, there were no mistakes. Every light cue, every drum beat, every thread of fabric, every stroke of makeup. Every element was exactly as it should have been. I rarely use the word, but… it was perfection.

If anything, THE LION KING brings all the elements of storytelling together in a collaboration that stands the test of time.

Spoken word. Dance. Music. Puppetry. Art. It’s all there.

It’s a landmark production. The accolades are well-deserved. The ovation wasn’t long enough.

One of the best nights I’ve spent in a theatre in a long time.

We clapped. Toes tapped. Sophia and Miles sang all the way home.

Thank you, cast and crew of THE LION KING. Thank you. Bravo.