Firefighters, teachers take on 5th graders in kickball
Thursday morning, teachers from Pine Island Elementary School and Pine Island firefighters assembled at the physical education field at the school to face the 5th graders of the school. After a one-hour kickball game, the teachers and firefighters celebrated a 5-4 victory.
For close to an hour the two teams traded the lead a number of times with the students battling back from behind.
“We really enjoy any opportunity to be involved in the community, especially with our community’s youth,” Deputy Fire Chief Mickuleit said. “We were fortunate enough to be invited to join the teachers and 5th grade students at the school for this kickball game. I think everyone had a great time today.”
Principal Rob Mazzoli pitched.
“This brings a healthy level of competition between the staff and the students,” Mazzoli said. “It brings us all together for the spirit of Pine Island Elementary.
“This is a tradition for our 5th graders at Pine Island Elementary,” Mazzoli said. “They really look forward to this game. We used to have a softball game but switched over to kickball a few years ago. The younger students watching the game from the stands also seem to enjoy it more. It’s also easier to get the staff out for kickball. This is also a great way to build comradery, togetherness and unifies our Pine Island Elementary family feel.”
The teachers included Casey Stearns, Summer Dooley, Jenn Cann, Amber Kunkel, Shannon Schaal and Phil Mead.
Participating fire fighters included Deputy Chief B. Mickuleit, Engineer K. Guerin, Engineer S. Adema, Firefighter M. Farries and Firefighter S. Russ.