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Shady Side Academy Gets Bucco Fever With Jolly Roger Day

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Eighty-five times the Pirates have said "Raise the Jolly Roger" after wins this year.

You look on Twitter, all the players are doing it, and today, so are all the kids at Shady Side Academy.

"It's fun to see a Pirate out there on the flag," said Alexis Oleson of Harmarville.

The kids at the junior school of Shady Side Academy raised the Jolly Roger -- and they are flying it with pride -- in music class.

"One, two, three strikes you're out at the old ball game," students sing.

And math class …

"What does a winning season mean?" the teacher asked.

They're talking Bucco baseball and being 24 games over .500.

Everywhere you look, people are giving each other high fives in the hall and yelling, "Go Pirates!"

Click here for more photos from Jolly Roger Day!

Pirate pride is obvious. This special day was the idea of school head Ellen McConnell.

"I am a Yankee fan," McConnell said, "I am originally from New York-New Jersey area and so I saw an opportunity for our students to really enjoy the Pittsburgh Pirates."

These kids are students of the game.

"We've gotten some really good trades," said Tyler Hart of Squirrel Hill. "I like Marlon Byrd too."

And it includes knowledge of legends like Roberto Clemente.

"I watched a documentary about him and that he was on a plane and it crashed," said fifth grader Cayden Leavy.

But there's another really great benefit to flying the Jolly Roger and sporting the pirates colors -- instead of school colors.

When asked by KDKA's Rick Dayton if it's fun to not have to wear his uniform, student Alexander Biglan said, "A little bit."

Rick Dayton: "A little bit or a lot?"

Alexander: "A lot."

Dayton: "And then you get to wear your Pirates stuff on top of that. Is this like the greatest day of the school year?"

Alexander: "Probably."

They are flying the Jolly Roger with pride because they realize that at Shady Side Academy -- at any of the three campuses -- there's not a single kid who has ever known a winning season. Raise it!

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