Team up for public education at May 3 Tourists game

Here’s the press release from the Asheville City Schools Foundation

(Asheville, NC) What’s more American than great teachers and baseball? Teacher appreciation day is May 6th this year, and the Asheville City Schools Foundation has teamed up with the Asheville Tourists and Lenoir-Rhyne University Asheville to kick off the week with a night of fun for the whole family. Fans are encouraged to wear red; the color adopted as the symbol for support of public education in North Carolina.  Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 3rd, 6pm at the Tourists Stadium. The announcer will honor teachers with an announcement to stand and be recognized. Come out to the ballgame to have some fun and show solidarity for local teachers. Parents, teachers, and families across Western North Carolina (WNC) are encouraged to help persuade the community to join in and be a part of this appreciation night on behalf of teachers.

To make this event even more symbolic, the first pitch of the game will be thrown by none other than Dennis Haskins aka “Mr. Belding” from the popular after school special “Saved By The Bell”. On his fourth annual “Mr. Belding’s Boys of Summer Tour”, Haskins makes appearances at minor league baseball parks and has been known to sign autographs and even give the play-by-play from the radio booth.  ACSF will be seeking teachers spanning grade levels to assist as “baseball buddies” for each position of the field during the opening pitch.

The Asheville Tourists have created an incentive for attendance and anyone wearing their school badge or wearing red will receive $2 off the general admission ticket price (normally $8) on the day of the event. To purchase tickets advance- http://bit.ly/TouristsMay3  using the password: publiced or call the Box Office at 828-258-0428 to avoid the convenience fee.

Dr. David Temple, Master of Arts in Teaching Program Coordinator at Lenoir-Rhyne shares “I want all of the teachers who come out on Saturday night to know that Lenoir-Rhyne honors their service to their community’s children. At times it may seem like a thankless job, but it is perhaps the most vital calling in this nation.”

The ACSF and Lenoir-Rhyne will be on site with advocacy information for parents about legislation that may affect their children’s’ education.   For the most up-to-date information coming out of the North Carolina General Assembly, visit www.ncleg.net. For the most up-to-date information on education issues affecting Asheville and Western North Carolina, please visit the WNC for Public Education Facebook page.

The mission of the Asheville City Schools Foundation is to promote educational success for all students in Asheville City Schools by engaging the entire community to support enriching and innovative educational activities. For more information about Asheville City Schools Foundation, see our web site at www.acsf.org.

About Lenoir-Rhyne University:
Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private, coeducational university with its original campus in Hickory, NC and was founded in 1891. Academic programs include more than 50 undergraduate majors and 24 graduate programs, the Center for Graduate Students of Asheville, NC; and the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C. Today, more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled between the three campuses. Lenoir-Rhyne is affiliated with the N.C. Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and welcomes students from all religious backgrounds. The website is lr.edu.