Major League Baseball's big day at Birch Elementary School

Some of baseball's biggest luminaries made their way to Merrick on Monday to honor Alena Korins, a 9-year-old Birch Elementary School student who won first prize in the Scholastic and Major League Baseball Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers Essay Contest.

"I couldn't wait to meet her and to meet the family that brought her into their lives," Sharon Robinson, daughter of American icon Jackie Robinson, said of Alena, whose essay about being adopted from Russia was chosen from more than 9,000 entries.

"We love Alena's essay because it was so powerful," Robinson said.

Alena was awarded a brand new laptop. Later, the fourth-grader was recognized on the field at Citi Field, home of the Mets, for her essay, which a Major League Baseball spokesman said displayed her ability to overcome personal barriers using the values exemplified by Jackie Robinson.

A handful of Birch School students were treated to a visit by Robinson, who shared the story of her father's becoming the first African-American to play in the major leagues, changing the game forever.

There was another special guest -- Mr. Met, who skipped around the school gym, tipping his oversized head to a sea of students with outstretched arms.

The mute mascot entertained questions from students, answering inquiries about dugout dances and how he manages to fit his baseball face through doorways with a mixture of charades and insights from a Mets spokesperson.

Robinson also answered questions about her father and his role in changing not just baseball, but history.

Watching the ceremony that honored her daughter, Ellen Korins said, "I'm thrilled, I mean proud, I mean excited beyond words."

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