Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation helps bring new STEM centers to Carroll County

BALTIMORE -- The first of 29 new STEM centers in Carroll County opened on Tuesday. 

Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. is a big reason why all of this is happening. 

The Car Ripken Sr. Foundation was one of the donors that contributed to this project, which is providing new state-of-the-art STEM equipment for elementary and middle school students to learn and engage. 

The STEM Center at Elmer A. Wolfe Elementary school, in Carroll County, was created from a $1 million partnership between The Kahlert Foundation and the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, which will ultimately lead to 29 STEM centers opening in every elementary and middle school in the county. 

"When you look at the kids out there, and they're working the kits, you're reaching a part of them, their curiosity, their interests," Ripken told WJZ. "They get wide-eyed, just like they get wide-eyed on the baseball field, and that's a cool thing."

Ripken, who owns the record for most consecutive games played, is known for his achievements on the baseball field.

But, he said as a child, he also took pride in achievements he made in the classroom, especially in math.

"I don't know if it was statistics and trying to figure out how to compute batting averages and those sorts of things, but I got into it," Ripken said.

Now Ripken is exposing children in Carroll County to a new hands-on way of learning in the classroom to gain knowledge, skills and confidence in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.

"There's the boring part of teaching, the monotony and the practice and that kind of stuff, and then there's a way to have fun and enjoy doing it," Ripken said. "The trick is to mix the two."

We are waiting to learn with the other 28 STEM centers will be opening.