Jackie Robinson’s daughter visits local school

A student in a Huntington Beach school’s winning essay brought the daughter of a baseball icon and a pitcher to speak to her classmates Monday.

Stacey/Clegg Elementary and Middle School student Amanda West, an eighth grader, beat out more than 11,500 essays in the “Breaking Barriers” contest. The competition asks students to talk about overcoming their own personal barriers using the values of Jackie Robinson, who shattered the color barrier as the first African-American player in modern major league baseball.

The baseball legend’s daughter Sharon Robinson spoke to students about her father, joined by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Darren Oliver. In the evening, the Angels held a pre-game ceremony to honor West.

The contest is part of a character-building program directed by Sharon Robinson and jointly developed by Major League Baseball and Scholastic Inc. As Grand Prize winner, West is also scheduled to fly out to New York for the league’s All-Star celebration in July.

— Michael Alexander