Orioles Honor City Schoolteacher, Offer Tickets To Entire Afterschool Program
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — From the classroom to the ballpark, a Baltimore City Schools teacher is enjoying his title of Birdland Community Hero.
After three years in the classroom at City Springs Elementary/Middle in East Baltimore, humanities teacher Wyatt Oroke hardly considers himself a local hero.
"There's something exceptional about teachers in general that we oftentimes don't fully recognize. And so I don't know if I would ever say that I do anything extra special. I love my kids," Oroke Said.
It was shortly after Oroke, who goes by "Mr. O" in the classroom, appeared on the Ellen Show last year that the Orioles reached out. The team named Mr. O a Birdland Community Hero for his work in the classroom and out.
They even let him bring a few friends to celebrate.
"At first they invited just me and three guests," he said. "And I know the Orioles, and how nice they are and how positive they are in our community. And so I said... can I get 120 tickets instead?"
And so, Mr. O and every student he taught got to watch the Birds play last spring. The Orioles honored him during the game for making Baltimore a better place.
"Mr. O stands out as a teacher, I think, because of his passion and love for kids," said his principal, Rhonda Richetta. "And it's not just the love that he has for his students, but for all of the students in the school."
His love is making a tangible difference in students lives and the future of our neighborhoods.
"If we understand that the youths in this city are the future of this city, it's going to allow our city to continue to blossom and grow. And I think sometimes we forget that. Sometimes we forget just how powerful our young people are, just how powerful their voices are to our city," Oroke said.
The Orioles have also offered up enough tickets for the entire City Springs after school program to go to a game this season.It includes lunches, transportation and t-shirts.
Oroke says the brand new baseball fans at City Springs could not be more excited.
Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook
