Summit Students Get Visit from Yankees Manager Aaron Boone

SUMMIT, NJ — Yankees Manager Aaron Boone visited Summit’s Washington Elementary School on Monday to talk to demonstrate science concepts using Hess toy trucks. The event was part of the Hess STEM (Science Technology Engineering, Mathematics) program.

Each year, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas develops a STEM curriculum using the toys, via their Center for Outreach Education. This year's (2019) curriculum guide used tow trucks to help kids explore a range of transportation issues, such as fuel efficiency, force and motion, levers, and road surfaces. This is the fourth year the curriculum has been offered.

Boone visited with the Summit fifth graders at the school from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Monday morning. He was greeted by signs and drawings made by the kids. Several students (and teachers) wore Yankees gear.

The Hess truck is a collectible toy that has been offered for sale since 1964, when the first Hess Tanker Trailer was sold at Hess gas stations. It was advertised only in newspapers, not on TV. The toy’s features were rare at the time, according to the website: working headlines and taillights controlled by a switch, and a cargo tank that could be filled with a hose.