Although the San Francisco Giants were unable to extend their even-year World Series streak in 2016, shortstop Brandon Crawford is using his power to help schools win. In conjunction with KNBR and Wells Fargo, Crawford founded the Step Up to the Plate Foundation in which $100,000 in grant money is provided to be evenly distributed among 25 Bay Area schools which have a specific academic or athletic need.

This year, Robert Semple Elementary was one of the recipients, and it was largely due to one second-grade teacher.

Chelsea Masters, a self-proclaimed Giants fan, had heard about the grant and thought Robert Semple could benefit from it.

“I’d heard about their Step Up to the Plate grant, where they were trying to get sports equipment, art supplies or technology into schools,” she said. “The deal was, you just had to explain in 500 words or less why your school would need it.”

Masters based her application around the need for equipment for the school’s new yoga program.

“We as a school have been taking a closer look at mindfulness,” she said. “I’ve been reading articles about it for a while on how it’s a growing trend in education.”

“It’s kind of a way to de-escalate students who have become so frustrated that they have difficulty calming themselves down,” Christina Moore, the principal of Robert Semple, added.

Additionally, Masters had become concerned about the growing suicide rates among teenagers, particularly with the work Benicia High School and Benicia Unified School District have had to do to address it with the hiring of additional mental health coordinators and counselors. Masters figured this was a problem to be addressed at an early age through de-stressing activities.

“We could incorporate mindfulness into stretching and yoga,” she said. “I asked for a grade-level set of yoga mats so that we could practice that at a very young level so that they could hopefully have those skills and mindset that can last with them as they get older.”

The set will also include DVDs and videos and can be used for any grade level.

“I’m hoping it’s something the school can use at all grade levels for many years to come,” Masters said.

After Masters had submitted her 500-word application, Moore received a call from KNBR saying that Robert Semple was among the 25 recipients. She then sent a text to Masters alerting her of the good news, who said she “jumped up and down” and let out a silent scream. She texted back “Sorry for the delay. I literally am screaming.”

On Tuesday, Masters, Moore and two lucky second graders got to attend a ceremony at AT&T Park where they were presented with a check and got to meet Crawford. To determine which students would go, Masters turned it into an assignment. Students wrote letters saying why attending this ceremony would be important to them. Masters made her decision based on who she felt would be most impacted by it, i.e., Giants fans who could have a once-in-a-lifetime memory from it. In the end, she settled on Eli Chaney and Cairo DeCatur.

“We wish we could have taken them all,” Moore said. “It’s one small way that we can reward somebody for being mindful in their writing.”

“The experience was amazing,” the principal said of the excursion to the Giants’ home stadium. “We were able to meet Brandon Crawford and receive a $3,000 grant on behalf of Wells Fargo and the Step Up to the Plate Foundation to be used for sports equipment.”

Moore expressed gratitude to the Giants, KNBR and Wells Fargo for selecting Robert Semple as a beneficiary.

“It’s not often that we receive something of this caliber,” she said. “We might receive binders or classroom materials or somebody might donate cake for the cake walk at the Harvest Festival, but something of this caliber that’s going to affect hundreds of kids doesn’t happen often at this school.”

“For an organization like the San Francisco Giants to notice little old Robert Semple feels very special that we were chosen over thousands of applicants,” Masters added. “I’m just excited to see the lasting impact the equipment will have on Semple and where we can take this focus on mindfulness.”