John Flaherty can add another title to his name. New York Yankees catcher, now retired, current YES Network broadcaster, and now special guest STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – teacher.
The former New York Yankees catcher visited students and staff at William A. Miller Elementary School in Old Bridge on Dec. 7 assisting students as they completed an activity in the 2022 Hess STEM Curriculum Guide which uses the brand new 2022 Hess flatbed truck with hot rods as the learning tool to teach the science of speed.
Many were dressed in their best New York Yankees attire including Schools Superintendent David Cittadino.
Flaherty is a graduate of Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, Bergen County, and George Washington University in Washington D.C. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1988 and played for the Red Sox and Detroit Tigers before joining the New York Yankees in 2003. He retired in 2006, according to his biography.
The activity-based lesson focused on inertia, gravity and center of mass in a hot rod style drag race.
Since 2016, Hess has donated over 100,000 toys to classrooms around the country in conjunction with the learning program.
Hess Corporation and Baylor College of Medicine partnered for the STEM Educational Outreach program. Committed to helping prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, Hess STEM engages them in practical experiences that demonstrate how these concepts apply in the real world, according to the Hess website.
The program offers free learning kits which include Hess Toy Trucks along with a STEM curriculum that demonstrates how the toys can be used as learning tools by teachers nationwide.
Following the STEM lesson, Flaherty made an appearance at Children’s Specialized Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health in New Brunswick. He traveled from room to room with a cart full of 2022 Hess Toy Trucks for young patients.
For more information on Hess STEM, visit HessToyTruck.com/stem.