Last month, WMS staff took students to the Yogi Berra Museum at Montclair State University for an educational field trip. At the museum, everyone learned about Yogi Berra and had a great time.

Some members of the trip were Ty Kobylakiewicz, Jah-mel Brown, Jackie Morel, Allyson Montesdeoca, Ms.D’Orsi, Mrs. Nemeth, and Mr.Olvesen. All of the members of this trip had nothing but nice things to say.

Ty Kobylakiewicz, a fast thrower on the pitching machine said, “I learned where [Yogi Berra] was from and [about] his family and his baseball career, but other than that there was no new information [for Kobylakiewicz].”

Jah-mel Brown, one of the highest jumping people on the trip, said he “enjoyed getting to know about him [Yogi Berra and] getting to know his struggles and how he overcame them. He also said that he learned how [Berra] and Jackie [Robinson] bonded even though they were two different races.” Brown said he liked “the dunk exhibit, the pitching machine, [and] seeing [Berra’s] rings” the best.

Allyson Montesdeoca, an 8th-grade student who attended the trip, said she “enjoyed” the trip and she  “learned Yogi Berra and Jackie Robinson had a very special relationship [even though] they were on rival teams.” The Yogi Berra Cow was also something that Allyson enjoyed learning about. The cow is a plastic cow with signatures of many famous baseball players on its back. Montesdeoca continued that she“thought that was pretty cool to see all the signatures and to see one of the two [cows].”

Jackie Morel, a student who attended the trip, said  “[she] learned that Yogi Berra was white and best friends with a black person.” And Morel also said she thought it would be a “fun experience” to visit the museum and would also “ learn something new”.

Mr.Olvesen, a supervisor on the trip, said the best part of the trip was “listening to Ty answer all the questions correctly.”   Mr.Olvesen said he would take his students back to the museum because “[the teachers] were able to overlap different subjects and at the same time, show how the game was forever changed because of Yogi Berra and Jackie Robinson’s relationship.” Olvesen said he likes baseball more than basketball, so it was obvious he liked the baseball part of the museum the best.

Ms. D’Orsi, another supervisor on the trip said, “If Yogi Berra’s son walked in I would thank him and his family [for the] help and [donation] and tell his family’s story to thousands who visit the museum.”D’Orsi also said she thought her students learned a lot, including about “Jackie and Yogi’s relationship”. D’Orsi also thought her students learned about “equality” as they learned about the Yogi Berra and Jackie Robinson’s career together.