By Felix Hoover

For YourNewsColumbus.com

Posted 05-13-09

 

 

About 3,000 sixth-graders were challenged to use their math and science skills during the fifth annual Baseball Day at Ohio State University.

 

Students who met school attendance requirements were rewarded with a trip to campus on Tuesday, May 12, for a day of education and fun.

 

During a pep rally they saw how friction was used by Army Capt. Brad Marsh as he made an atypical entry to the Schottenstein Center by rapelling from the rafters in Value City Arena, the starting point for the day's activities.

 

The well-mannered group learned about some of the practical applications of mathematics in a quiz about comparative earnings of some of today's top entertainers.

 

The crowd included 23 students selected as Young Scholars who will attend summer academies at Ohio State as part of their preparation for college.

 

Columbus Schools Superintendent Gene Harris wanted to let all of the other students know that they should not be discouraged if they aren't Young Scholars, but rather encouraged that college was iattainable if they achieved high enough grade-point averages and did other things to be college ready.

 

She prompted a show of hands that the sixth-grader not only would high school grads in 2015, but also college graduates inn 2019.

 

This year marked the first time that Columbus State Community College joined with Columbus City Schools and Ohio State in presenting the program. The idea was to let the young people know that many options for higher education are available and that a two-year program can be a stepping stone to a four-year degree. said William E. Kopp, Columbus State's vice president, institutional development.

 

Logic suggests that sixth-graders might relate to college students who weren't too distant in time from middle school.

 

Speakers included students from Columbus State and OSU's Hazel Caldwell, a 2007 graduate of Columbus Alternative High School Earlier she attended two other Columbus City schools, West Broad Elementary and Westmoor Middle.

 

Caldwell's advice to take hard courses in middle school and high school clicked with Alex Crutcher, who attends the Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy.

 

The oft-repeated message "Reach Higher" -- It even was printed on T-shirts tossed to some of the youngsters -- resonated with schoolmate Tatiana Waterman.

 

Representatives from the Center of Science and Industry performed science experiments in the arena, much to the delight of yet another schoolmate, Bolivar Moya-Perez.

 

What made the occasion "baseball day" was the game between Ohio State and Eastern Michigan in Bill Davis Stadium, which the sixth-grade students got to see for free after the pep rally.

 

Although the OSU Pep Band had played inside the arena, the Yorktown Middle School Band played the National Anthem in the stadium.

 

Dustin Fingerhut, a special-needs student at Westmoor Middle School got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.

 

Shortly after, he said the honor was "cool" and reinforced the sentiment with an enthusiastic two thumbs up and a smile as bright as the sky at game time.