Ducks pay visit to Paul J. Bellew Elementary School
(West Islip, N.Y., Jan. 8, 2013) – On Tuesday, the Long Island Ducks spent the morning with Amanda Dewey and the over 500 students and faculty at Paul J. Bellew Elementary School. Amanda was the first of four winners in TD Bank’s annual “Take a Duck to Class” essay contest, and as part of her prize, she received an assembly for the whole school with QuackerJack, 2012 Atlantic League champion Ray Navarrete and the Ducks Street Team, powered by National Grid.
To begin, TD Bank representatives Eric Fishon and Lina Gonzalez presented Amanda with a Visa gift card for writing a winning essay. Amanda then got to read her wonderful work about why her community is important to her aloud to the entire school and received a resounding applause. Next, QuackerJack came out to say hello, and Ray spoke to the children about the importance of community and education in his life, along with how his baseball career led to him achieving his ultimate dream: an Atlantic League Championship.
Following the assembly, QuackerJack and Ray joined Amanda and the rest of her class for an exclusive autograph session in their classroom. Many students posed for pictures with the two, and each was given a gift bag full of goodies, courtesy of TD Bank. Amanda and some of her classmates were even interviewed by News 12 Long Island about the fun-filled day.
CLICK HERE to see the story from News 12!
CLICK HERE to see a Facebook photo album from the visit!
Contestants were able to pick up applications from local TD Bank locations this fall and submit an essay of 250 words or less on “Why my community is important to me.” Out of hundreds of essays received from all over Long Island, four winners were selected. Each winner will receive a visit from a Ducks player and Long Island’s most popular mascot, QuackerJack, along with a Visa gift card from TD Bank. Following is a listing of the three remaining essay contest winners and their scheduled visit dates:
January 15: Forest Brook Elementary School in Hauppauge. Winner – Austin Faber, 9
January 29: East Plain Elementary School in Massapequa. Winner – Alexa Lipsenthal, 7
February 5: Sayville Middle School in Sayville. Winner – Hannah Niggemeier, 11
The Long Island Ducks are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and play their home games at Bethpage Ballpark. For further information, call (631) 940-DUCK or visit www.liducks.com.
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