Johnson chosen as Twins' All-Star teacher

SEATTLE -- Neil Johnson of Shakopee has been selected by fans to represent the Twins in the Target Presents People All-Star Teachers campaign, MLB, Target and People announced Tuesday.

Johnson, a Twins fan, has more than four decades of teaching experience. He teaches calculus at Shakopee High School and also coaches softball and women's basketball. He has also served as the math department chairman for 20 years, and in 2008, he started a pilot program that allowed calculus students to receive college credit from the University of Minnesota

Johnson will join 29 other winners representing the other Major League clubs at Target Field for an on-field ceremony prior to the All-Star Game. During the ceremony, Tony Award winner Idina Menzel will perform the song "Forever Young," written by 11-time Grammy Award winner Bob Dylan, who is a native of Minnesota.

Fans across the country cast their votes on AllStarTeachers.com, selecting the 30 winners out of a pool of 90 finalists. Several celebrities such as Eric Stonestreet, a Dodgers fan who plays a teacher on the television show Modern Family; Matthew Morrison, who plays a teacher on the show Glee and is a Mets fan; and Extra TV's AJ Calloway, a Yankees fan whose mother is a retired principal and whose sister is currently a principal, joined Carlos Beltran of the Yankees and Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers as "All-Star Teachers" Ambassadors for the program.

For more information, updates and behind-the-scenes access to campaign activities leading up to the All-Star Game, fans can visit AllStarTeachers.com and ABullsEyeView.com/Baseball.