The World Series Champions, our very own Houston Astros invited our 2nd – 5th graders to sing The National Anthem ON THE FIELD to open the August 29th 1:10pm Astros game against the Oakland A’s. We have officially declared August 29, 2018 BYDS Strong Day. Almost exactly one year after Hurricane Harvey, we all joined together to not only root on our home team, but to celebrate our resilience as a community.
Our students waited patiently in the players’ tunnel for their turn to walk out into the spotlight. Posing for our “Bregman Stare”, our students got a surprise visit from Baseball Hall of Famer Craig Biggio. We were escorted to the field entrance where our students stood proud, excited, and a bit nervous. As they walked onto the field they saw some of their favorite Houston Astros players warming up. Some of the players even gave the kids high-fives!
Our BYDS 2nd – 5th graders then astonished a crowd of 32,926 with a beautifully sung National Anthem. Tears were shed (happy ones and all from Section 106) and cheers were cheered. Ms. Christine Phares, our BYDS Music Teacher, led the students throughout practices at school and throughout this memorable day. The Astros posted their footage from the Anthem on their website as well.
To top it all off, it was a great game! The students got to join their parents back in our section, which was a navy sea of BYDS Strong Day t-shirts. Our art teacher, Mrs. Gold, created fan signs for the 3rd Graders to hold up. With the loudest screams from the stands, Tyler White homered with one out in the ninth inning to give the Houston Astros a 5-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics!
Continuing in the celebration of our strength and community, during our first All-School Shabbat of this school year, Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Cohen honored our school with an official Proclamation from the City of Houston declaring that we ARE #bydsstrong. Not only did the students commemorate this anniversary week with singing the National Anthem on the field, but Congregation Beth Yeshurun is also hosting a Grand Reopening THIS very weekend. We are so grateful that the first decision the synagogue made following the flood was to put the school’s remediation and renovation first. This caused their process to take much longer than ours and we are looking forward to celebrate with them this weekend.
You never know what one will experience at BYDS, and this is one that none of us will ever forget. Start Here.
