The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Growing up, my world was a whirlwind of arts, culture, and strangely enough, Sci-Fi. My Dad was my hero, a man of constant humor, kindness, and creative influence, who also just so happened to be a world-class science fiction and fantasy nerd. One of the first movies I can remember him taking me to as a child was a matinée of Hercules in New York at the Riverview Theater, starring a pre-Terminator/governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Shades of Doctor Who, Robbie the Robot, and of course, Star Wars

“Johnson is our name, cheering is our game!” The chants of a cheerleading squad echoed faintly inside Colin Denis’s classroom one winter afternoon at John A. Johnson High School in St. Paul’s inner-city Payne-Phalen neighborhood. Denis, looking the very epitome of a high-school science teacher with his wispy hair, thick glasses, and lab coat, collected papers from two lingering students. “OK,” Denis told them, “now I’ll take you down to see the robot.” The girls giggled with excitement.