MILWAUKEE – It’s a way to reduce the achievement gap between low and high income students in Milwaukee. It’s called PAVE, which stands for Partners Advancing Values in Education, and its Summer of Baseball Program is Positively Milwaukee. The crack of the bat, sliding to base, making a catch…it’s time for baseball at Center Street Park. It’s all part of the PAVE Summer of Baseball Program. Part of the goal, to help students retain educational skills during the summer. Young people spend the morning in class, before heading to the diamond. “It’s not only fun for them, but it provides them an opportunity to understand how you work as a team, how you work together, how you pull together,” PAVE Associate Director Catina Harwell-Young said. This summer, PAVE is working with 1,000 students from 10 charter and choice schools, and it’s scoring points with the kids. “It’s fun and active. You can do a whole bunch of other things instead of watching TV and sitting on the couch and doing nothing,” Antoinette Davis said. “Sometimes I forget what I be doing through the year, so I came to summer school to learn some more,” Nicholas Hardy said. “It’s a good idea to go to summer school, to refresh your memory of what you learned in the fall, spring and winter,” William Combs said. Volunteers from the Ernst & Young accounting firm are helping coach the students. Some of the kids are playing baseball for the very first time. “It keeps me out of trouble while I’m at home and keeps me active,” Xavier Williams said. For a lot of the kids, organized baseball is an elusive sport because of a lack of space, and a lot of times, a lack of coaches, but this program gives a lot of kids the chance to enjoy a sport they never thought they could. “They’re playing a sport. They’re learning academics and recreation, and at the same time, how to build a team. It really is fantastic,” PAVE Program Officer Dave Steele said. As memories are made on a sunny day, no doubt, the lessons will leave a mark. There are swings and there’s misses, but the PAVE Summer of Baseball Program is a homerun for all involved. The PAVE Summer of Baseball Program received grants from the Miller Park District Community Program and the Brewers charities.