The 4th Grade students from the John F. Kennedy Primary School set the tone for the Somerset Patriots before their minor league baseball game on Sunday, September 7.
The JFK students, under the guidance of the school’s dedicated music teacher, Jimmy Cicchino, sang both The Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America on the field at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater.
Then the Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 9-4. New Hampshire is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They played south of The Bronx on this Sunday, when the Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 4-3, at Yankee Stadium in a showdown of the top teams in the American League East.
The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District was also represented on this day at TD Bank Ballpark when Kiran Masud, a 5th Grade English Language Arts Teacher at the Hillside Intermediate School, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
She was honored by the Patriots for being named the 2025-2026 Somerset County Teacher of the Year by the New Jersey Department of Education.
Aldo Russo, the JFK Principal, applauded the effort on the field by his students and teacher.
“I want to recognize Jimmy for the outstanding job he did preparing our students for the Somerset Patriots game. The kids sounded fantastic singing the Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America,” Principal Russo said.
Principal Russo added:
“Amazingly, Jimmy had them ready with only a few days of practice. It truly was a great day. The best part was seeing so many students, parents, and staff at the game. “