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November 3, 2009

Yo-yo tricks a hit in Vici

A new spin was put on old tricks during an educational yo-yo presentation at Vici Elementary School Tuesday.

Students were awed by yo-yo professional Tim Johnson, of Around the World Yo-Yo Entertainment. In addition to the yo-yo tricks, he tries to inspire kids to stay in school.

The “School is Cool” assembly program took students on a journey with Yo the yo-yo. Yo is a second grader who decided to leave school because he wanted to get a job.

Yo’s story included details about school subjects he used at each new job he acquired, and yo-yo tricks were demonstrated as the story progressed. The jobs took Yo from the Microsoft office all the way to Wall Street.

Students were amazed by the classic yo-yo tricks like “Walk the Dog” and the “Hard Sleeper,” as well as some that were more difficult such as “Double or Nothing on the Flying Trapeze.”

Johnson told the pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students, “Once you can throw the Hard Sleeper you can do the rest. The trick is to throw it harder and harder but soft enough for the yo-yo to stay down on the ground. Everything builds from that.”

Students were asked to count how many times Johnson whipped his yo-yo around in the air. The story ended when Yo talked to his teacher about the importance of education and staying in school, and he decided that he was not quite ready for a job.

“School is cool because we learn, listen, laugh and we make lasting friendships,” said Johnson. “If you want to have a lot of friends, you just have to be a good friend and treat each other with respect and kindness.”

Around the World Yo-Yo Entertainment travels around the country performing at schools for no charge. Yo-yos will be sold to students through the remainder of the week. Ten percent of the total yo-yo sales are given back to the school.

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Quinlan United Methodist Church Sunday school teacher Christy Linsley (left) presents High Plains Outreach Center board members Steve Jones and Juanita Fitz with blankets, while fellow Sunday school teachers Janelle Cole (second from right) and Janice Hammans (right) presents board member Kathy Jones with blankets Thursday evening. The church gathered blankets and other items during the month of January to donate to the shelter.

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