ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This month, a couple of brothers from St. Petersburg earned their way to Texas to be part of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game festivities.
But they aren’t there for their athleticism. They’re there for their math skills.
Caleb Smith, 14, and his brother Jacob, 12, never knew how much fun STEM could be until it was paired with their favorite players from their favorite sport, baseball.
The game is called the MLB Players STEM League.
“I’ve been liking baseball since I was in like first grade, that’s when I started playing baseball,” said Caleb.
The non-profit organization, Learn Fresh, and the MLB Players Trust, have teamed up to bring the game to schools and community centers across the country.
“All of our programs are centered around sports and entertainment with the idea that we want to make STEM education more relevant and exciting for kids to play, all about the joy of learning,” said Kaitlyn Patterson with Learn Fresh.
Caleb and Jacob were among 23 students nationwide who earned their way to Texas to compete nationally during the same week as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
“The opportunity to come for a weekend of competition, get some special experiences at AT&T stadium, and then they had the opportunity to go to the home run derby, and the kids that actually won the event got to go on the field and meet some of the players,” said Patterson.
For these St. Pete brothers, sitting in the stands, watching their heroes hit one home run after another, it was a night they’ll never forget.
“I’m wondering why they can’t do that during the game because they were just like hitting home runs back to back, and during the game, they always get out, I don’t even know how,” said Caleb.
“They were just hitting homers. I’m not sure how many they hit, and it was fun to watch,” said Jacob. “One did land in front of us; it was near us, but the people in front of us, they were giant, so they got there first.”
They hope more kids see their story and give the board game a try. They are confident their math skills will improve in the upcoming school year.
“I think even more so in building confidence in the classroom and helping them break out of their shells, and be a more vocal student and friend, and really just, you know, improve overall how they show up to school and how they show up to learning,” said Patterson.
"My kids keep asking, 'Where are we going to live?'"
Over 500 people were rescued during Hurricane Milton at the Standard Apartments in Clearwater. Now, survivors with no place to go have set up camp in the grass in the Best Buy parking lot across the street.
