Lugnuts Host Local Students at Oldsmobile Park
May 22, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
Lansing, MI - When the gates swing open Tuesday morning at Oldsmobile Park, students from all around the Mid-Michigan area will flow through, some for the first time, and enjoy a relaxing day away from school while basking in the daytime sun as the Lansing Lugnuts take the field against the Fort Wayne Wizards. Tuesday marks the second Grand Slam School Day of the season, a day dedicated to students in schools throughout the area as a way for teachers to offer an incentive and reward for their students.
"Grand Slam School Day is one of our favorite days of the year," Lugnuts Director of Sales Nick Grueser said. "The kids love to come out to the ballpark and it makes us feel great to know that they are being rewarded for all of their hard work in the classroom."
Throughout the year, some of these students take part in a special program that intertwines baseball and education. The Lugnuts have worked with the State of Michigan Board of Education to update a curriculum packet that meets the Grade Level Content Expectations of the state. The packet has components that include Geography, English, Math, and Science which can be done in the classroom or at the ballpark. Because of the school schedule, the game has a special start time of 10:35 a.m.
"With the earlier start of 10:35 am, it has allowed our 100 to 130 students and staff to enjoy the entire game and have a great time," Fulton Middle School Principal Terry Maier said. "We use this trip to the ballpark as a reward for outstanding academic and citizenship performance by our students. It is now a tradition for Fulton Middle School in early May to join the Lugnuts."
The lessons of the classroom also carry over to the ballpark. Grand Slam School Day is filled with events that are specially designed with the students in mind. The Farm Bureau Insurance America and Me essay winners will lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance before the game. Other students will be given the chance to be a part of the Jr. Press, a group that holds a press conference before the game with two Lugnut players. These students also receive a tour of the ballpark and are required to turn in a story to their teachers. The best story from the group will then be posted on the Lugnuts website.
"While the game is a reward for the students, we do not want to forget that is still a school day," Grueser said. "It is very important for us to intertwine school into the festive atmosphere that these students bring to Oldsmobile Park."
Gates for Grand Slam School Day will open at 9:20 a.m. with first pitch set for 10:35 a.m. on Tuesday morning at Oldsmobile Park as the Lugnuts wrap up a four game homestand against the Fort Wayne Wizards.
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