Danny Secretion Teaches 4th Grade

Community Comments

DANNY REYNOSO WEARS COLLARED SHIRTS, fuzzy sweaters and teaches fourth grade at St. Francis Elementary School by day. He wears fitted punk-rock T-shirts, a leather biker jacket, pounds the drums and sings in a raunchy punk band called the Secretions by night. He is a self-proclaimed Jekyll and Hyde; Mr. Reynoso by day and Danny Secretion by night.
    “In my ideal world, it’s not so crazy to be a punk rocker and fourth-grade teacher,” Reynoso, 36, explains. “I think it is important for people to have a Jekyll-and-Hyde lifestyle.”
    Sitting in one of his favorite coffee shops downtown, the Naked Lounge, Reynoso is dressed in all-black clothing, from a Motorhead T-shirt that hugs his thin frame to skin-tight jeans. His punk look is completed with a chain and lock around his neck reminiscent of the late Sid Vicious, bassist for British punk band the Sex Pistols. Proud of his Mexican heritage, Reynoso calls himself “El Flaco Loco,” which means “crazy, skinny person” in Spanish. 
    A graduate of Sacramento State and St. Mary’s College, Reynoso has been teaching elementary school for 13 years. Danny Secretion has been the rhythmic backbone of the Secretions for almost 16 years.
    “I can separate Danny Secretion from Mr. Reynoso,” he says. “I feel bad for people who can’t see that.”
    Reynoso acknowledges that some of his students’ parents might not be able to understand his other lifestyle, so he says he skirts the issue when asked about his bands at school. With St. Francis principal Laurie Power, however, Reynoso can be more open. “It’s not a problem at all,” says Power. “He doesn’t bring that kind of attitude to the classroom.”
    It may seem like a stretch for a punk rocker to teach Catholic elementary school, but Reynoso grew up attending Catholic schools. Now he loves teaching elementary school because he feels he’s making a difference.
    Reynoso also incorporates his love of music into the classroom. While he feels the music he writes for the Secretions and his other bands is inappropriate for children, he has written some children’s songs for his students.
    A drum set and guitar sit in his classroom, and classical music often fills the air while students work. He hopes to inspire his students to play music, and some of his past students have started bands, which Reynoso says makes him feel like a proud dad.
Continued...

• Share
  • Digg This
  • del.icio.us
  • Newsvine
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Furl It
  • !Y My Web
  • Google
• Email
• Print

Recommend This

Community Comments