'Gronk' Is In the House: Patriots Visit Burbank With Fitness In Mind

It was a pep rally to remember when New England Patriots players visited the Burbank Elementary School on Friday, Feb. 15.  

All-pro tight end and fan favorite, Rob Gronkowski, and linebacker, Jeff Tarpinian, spoke to enthusiastic students and teachers in the school's gym on the importance of eating healthy and exercising regularly.  

The Burbank School and the Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative (BASEC) partnered to invite the players to come and celebrate the students' success in the "Fuel Up to Play 60" program this year. 

BASEC student council members demonstrated drills and activities with new recess equipment provided through a grant from the NFL's health and fitness initiative.

Two Burbank students were selected from each grade to ask the Patriots questions following the demonstration and motivational speech. A fourth grader asked what it was like to hear the roar of the crowd during a game which could not have been much louder than the welcoming the Patriots received upon entering the Burbank gym. Gronkowski told students how exciting it was to play in front of a lot of pumped-up fans. 

The spirit and the energy combined to make a day that will stand out in the memories of all the students for years to come.

Andrew Mountford, BASEC Director