Mr. P stood outside the doors, saying good-bye to students at Hawthorne for one last time. Friday was his last day to interact with students as principal.

Mr. P, who’s formal name is John Piotraschke, announced earlier this spring that he would be leaving Albert Lea to take a job as a principal in the Fridley school district.

He sees the new job as an opportunity to move back to the Twin Cities area, where he and his wife Cheryl are from and still have family. When they originally moved to Albert Lea for him take a job with District 241, Cheryl, who is a teacher, took a five-year leave of absence from her job with the Osseo School District. And that leave ended this year.

There was only one position open in the area, at Fridley, so he submitted his resume, and ended up getting the job. Cheryl returns to a fourth-grade classroom in Maple Grove.

Guided by prayer throughout his decision-making, he said there have been positive signs that this move is one is the right decision. Their house here sold in three days, in a market where many properties have gone unsold, he said. And they found a house they wanted in the neighborhood they wanted and it was exactly what they could afford.

Leaving will be hard, as he says goodbye to students and especially colleagues who have been part of his life for five years.

&uot;The reality of this business is that you work with people of integrity. You can’t walk away from a community like Hawthorne’s without leaving people you love,&uot; Piotraschke said. He also will miss the many unsung heroes at Hawthorne and in the district, who work hard day after day but rarely get noticed, he said.

Even though it didn’t play a major role in his decision to leave, Piotraschke’s lack of seniority was an issue that contributed to their decision.

&uot;The ride through this district has been turbulent. Every year has carried uncertainty, and I haven’t always known from one year to the next what my prospects are,&uot; he admitted.

Despite that turbulence, Piotraschke feels that he’s learned quite a bit while here, and leaves Albert Lea a much better educator than he was when he came.

He also has praise for the district’s leadership, singling out David Prescott, district superintendent, for special notice. Anyone who can go pretty much anywhere else and get paid more but chooses to stay here instead is amazing, Piotraschke said.

&uot;In a funny way, my new superintendent has some big shoes to fill,&uot; he said.

Leaving Albert Lea also probably means an end to the musical group he had formed with Bob Bursell and George Marin &045; B, G and Mr. P (a.k.a. Fourth Man in the Fire) &045; although the music writing and performing will continue, he said.

The years in Albert Lea will always be important ones for &uot;Mr. P&uot; and he is grateful for all that he learned here, he said.