Provided by Prince William County Schools (PWCS)
Long known in PWCS for his smooth, dulcet tones, Jerome Hruska has been recruited as announcer for many school and Division-related events. (His day job is a as technology education teacher at Stonewall Jackson High School). But fewer locals know that in addition to these roles, he is also the public address (PA) announcer for the Washington Nationals.
Hruska has been the Nationals PA announcer since 2007, only missing 10 to 12 games of the 1,000 he has been behind the microphone. Balancing his schedule during the baseball season is challenging. However, Hruska finds ways to connect his Nationals job with his teaching job.
For several years, Hruska has hosted the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) trivia games during the Nationals Winterfest. This on-stage event teams Nationals players up with fans to go head to head in a baseball quiz show of multiple choice and true and false short answers. Participating fans receive the answers from pre-recorded videos of Hruska’s students answering the questions and giving the explanations. Ever wonder why a curveball curves? Fans are able to learn from engineering students that it is The Magnus Effect.
Hruska was asked what his students thought of his “other” job. “I believe that as the team has become more and more a part of the fabric of Northern Virginia, my students have increasingly developed an interest in what I do for the Nationals. Years ago, many students didn’t have instant recognition for the team. But now that my current freshmen were born the year baseball returned to DC, it has become a big part of their lives. Recently, the number of Nationals hoodies and t-shirts worn by students is increasing. This growing interest in (or awareness of) the team has prompted students to become aware that I am the announcer.
Hruska also serves as the school technology education department chair, the International Baccalaureate Career Programme Coordinator, and coach to the SeaPerch and Vex Robotics Teams at Stonewall Jackson.
