Students enjoy day at ballpark

Union School kindergartners and middle school Students of the Month enjoy a day a Fifth Third Bank Field on Wednesday for a Toledo Mud Hens game.

TOLEDO — More than 100 Union School students enjoyed a day at the ballpark on Wednesday for Muddy Buddy 2012.
The annual event pairs middle school Students of the Month with kindergarten students for a field trip to a Toledo Mud Hens game. The older students rode the bus with their younger buddies and they sat together during the game.
“These guys are the cream of the crop when it comes to the middle school and role models,” said Principal Jim Wheeler, who organized the event. “We want the kindergartners to understand there are expectations for you to act a certain way and they all did that. In 13 years now, that’s as well as it’s gone. We had no concerns and no complaints about our kids.”
The 123 Upper Sandusky students sat right behind home plate. The students also received a lunch of hot dogs, chips and pop, all paid for by local businesses and donors.
“I liked sitting by first base,” kindergarten student Trenton Payne said. “You can see everything.”
“I liked when we all did the wave,” seventh-grader Rachel DuBois added. “It was really fun.”

Union School kindergartner Chase Smith has fun with cotton candy at Wednesday’s Toledo Mud Hens baseball game.

The older students watched over the younger ones, helping them with their lunches, escorting them to the bathroom and many held hands as they walked to and from the buses.
“This was my first time at a game,” sixth-grader Ry Adams said. “I enjoyed spending time with my little buddies and the game was very exciting.”
“I liked watching the kindergartners and the action,” sixth-grader Matt McLain added.
A good time was has had by all, but for the younger ones, not much baseball watching was going on. Everyone enjoyed the free lunches before shelling out their own cash for cotton candy, ice cream, popcorn and souvenirs. Big foam fingers peppered the Upper Sandusky crowd and a few faces had cotton candy smeared all over.
“I had fun at the game with my buddy,” kindergartner Mary Jane Snyder said. “I had a hot dog, cupcakes and cotton candy.”
“My favorite part was when they did all the pitches and kept track of the score on that big board,” kindergarten student Blake Culver added.
The event was part of the Mud Hens’ annual School Celebration Day, with students from many school across Ohio, including Carey, in attendance. When asked who won the game, many of the young kids had no idea. One kindergartner said, “the gray team.” He was right. The Mud Hens lost 3-1 to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees, the team in the gray uniforms.

By CHANDA NEELY
Staff writer

Posted by Daily Chief on May 17, 2012. Filed under Featured,Local News,Recent Pictures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry