Young Pirates Fans Learn Weather Safety With Jeff Verszyla
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pirate fans are used to seeing Jeff Verszyla on the big screen at PNC Park.
Now they get to see him in person.
"It's always good to be up-close and personal to have that one-on-one interaction," said Verszyla. "Or in this case one to a few hundred interactions. You know we do school visits, and this is kind of like a big school visit in a big venue."
For the fourth year, Jeff was part of the Weather Education Day program at the ballpark. Four Pittsburgh schools brought kids before the Buccos tangled with the Cubs.
"I thought it was really cool," said Molly Potts. "I thought it was a cool idea that kids could come around and learn about the park and also watch the game."
It's really an educational day for the kids. Yes, they get to come see a baseball game, but they see different parts of the ballpark and go through the weather education program.
The National Weather Service says it's a key part of learning.
"The good thing is a lot of the kids, no matter what age group, from third grade to eighth grade, the weather safety tips are always good to reinforce," said Fred McMullen with the National Weather Service. "Even a seventh grader may not have all the information, so it's a good thing to reach all."
The multi-media presentation used the Jumbo Tron to show slides and video about the weather and how it affects all of us, even those who don't usually focus on it very much.
"Not a lot though," said John Schroeder. "I only pay attention to the weather on important days for me, so like if we are going to go to the beach, to see if it's nice there."
But maybe, through efforts like this one, that might change.
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