Newtown High School Teacher’s Externship With Favorite Team

By Laurie Borst

Pat Walsh has been a business teacher for 36 years. Twenty-six of those years have been at Newtown High School. This summer, she spent the day at Shea Stadium in an externship, a volunteer job-shadowing program.

Peg Ragaini, in the high school’s Career Center, asked Mrs Walsh last spring if she was interested in an externship. Mrs Walsh thought it would be great to go into the field and bring the experience back to the classroom.

“Right after college, I worked for McGraw-Hill Textbook Publishing in the cost and royalty department,” Mrs Walsh related. “I thought it was important to have some practical experience before I started teaching.”

When Mrs Ragaini suggested the externship program, Mrs Walsh looked into and found that she could job shadow a marketing person with the Mets, Mrs Walsh’s favorite team.

She was put in touch with Gary Larocque, a Newtown resident who works with the Mets organization. Mr Larocque connected her with Tina Bucciarelli, senior marketing director.

“Her schedule was horrific,” Mrs Walsh said. “She finally came up with August 4 as a day that would work. I went to the stadium. It was so neat to go into the VIP area.

“She was a young gal, and just marvelous. It was a game day and a promotion day. I knew she had lots to do, but she was so gracious. She gave me her time. She went all out.”

Mrs Walsh got to see marking operations, promotions Ms Bucciarelli was approving. “She had to give her approval on art work for a plastic baseball cap coin bank, an upcoming promotional item,” Mrs Walsh continued. “She showed me the daily log/itinerary. She had to know who the guests were, who needed attention, meet and greet, special badges.”

A newsletter of upcoming events is published regularly. It contained information about special events like Italian Day, what bands or performers are coming in, who’s singing the National Anthem, etc.

Mrs Walsh got to see the plans for the new stadium, including an artist’s rendering. As the parking will be disrupted during construction, promos are being developed to advertise NYC’s water taxi and train service to alleviate parking issues for fans.

The day wrapped up with Mrs Walsh and her husband attending that evening’s game. “Unfortunately,” she said. “The Mets lost.”

“More teachers should try [an externship]. I teach marketing, so I can bring this experience back into the classroom.”

Mrs Walsh is the department chair for fine and applied arts, overseeing the business, tech ed, culinary, early childhood, and art programs.

When she first started teaching, business courses focused on typing, shorthand, and office machines, e.g., mimeograph and spirit duplicators (anybody remember those?). “I’ve seen lots of changes over the years,” Mrs Walsh stated.