Life Skills student Dominic Estelle gets some eggs from Panthers catcher Braeden Ratliff at the school’s annual Easter egg hunt on the ball field. (Courtesy photo)

It was a field of dreams for Princeton ISD life skills students as they spent the morning running across the baseball infield to fill their baskets with Easter eggs. 

In what has become a unique PHS tradition, Coach Leroy Mansanales and his Panthers baseball players invited life skills students to join them for an Easter egg hunt on the ball field.

“We wanted to do something nice for the kids,” Mansanales said, adding, “This is something that has become an annual event.”

To prepare for the day, players collected candy and filled hundreds of plastic eggs. Once “hidden” on the baseball field, team managers handed out baskets to the students just before the coach gave them the signal it was time to hunt.

With assistance from the Panthers, the kids stuffed their baskets until they overflowed with candy and some needed plastic bags to hold it all.

“It’s awesome seeing all the kids smile,” player Nathan Gerbrandt said.

“This is actually a lot of fun,” teammate Dylan Gilbert said. “We don’t always get to do cool stuff like this.”

Life skills student Douglas Davilla has always tried to be the first one to the dugout to get his basket and he was greeted this year by a celebrity guest, the Easter Bunny.

 “Guys, it’s the real bunny,” Douglas yelled to his classmates when he entered the field. “Guys, it’s eggs everywhere.”

Life skills teacher Ryan Gerfers said, “I love this day. It’s so much fun, especially when the kids get to throw a pitch.”

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