At Renfro Elementary School in Collinsville, IL, Mrs. Vandeford’s fourth graders got the learning experience of a lifetime when Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly dropped in for a virtual classroom visit on Tuesday.
O’Reilly, who joined the class over Zoom, spoke to the students about hockey, quizzed them on their fractions, and even surprised them when he showed off his missing tooth.
“I was such a proud little teacher,” Stephanie Vandeford told stlouisblues.com. “I love them so much anyway, but for them to show up to class wearing their Blues gear and answering their fraction questions like rock stars, it was amazing. They were so behaved and respectful, it was a proud moment for me, not only as a teacher but as a really big Blues fan.”
Vandeford has been a Blues season ticket holder for 10 years and was notified last week that O’Reilly wanted to conduct a virtual classroom visit with her class.
In January, the Blues asked fans to nominate frontline workers to attend games since a very limited number of fans would be able to watch live at Enterprise Center, and that nomination led to the virtual visit.
She let the students in on the secret through a scavenger hunt in class.
“My husband nominated me and I had no idea any of this was happening,” Vandeford said. “I think my husband has seen first hand how challenging this year has been, not just for me but for all teachers, and his submission (about my classroom) must have struck a chord with some people.”
Classroom visits like this one with Ryan O’Reilly will become more common as Blues shift to virtual school visits during the pandemic.
Recently, O’Reilly approached the Blues community relations staff and said that while League COVID protocols may prevent the players from visiting classrooms in person, the team could still conduct them virtually since they are required to remain at the team hotels when on the road. O’Reilly was the first player to conduct a visit Tuesday in Anaheim, but more are expected soon.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that Ryan would give us his time to meet with fourth graders and talk to them,” Vandeford said. “Especially in a year that has been really hard for kids, and nothing seems normal. They’re not socializing and communicating the way they normally would, they’re not having field trips. Ryan did a great job talking to the kids, understanding what they want to see and hear.
“It meant everything,” she added. “The kids were so excited to have something to look forward to like that, especially in a pandemic when we’ve been back and forth from in-person, to remote learning, to hybrid. It was so special.”
