Strome, Lapierre surprise students in classroom for Halloween

FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- The 20 third graders in Katie Veltri’s class at Belvedere Elementary School knew they were having visitors Wednesday afternoon, but they didn’t know who.

They were told to wear red, and the reason became clear when Washington Capitals forwards Dylan Strome and Hendrix Lapierre entered the classroom.

Over the next hour, the pair read to the class, asked and answered countless questions, gave out Halloween candy and signed autographs.

“The kids were awesome,” Strome said. “We had a great time. They were very funny, very friendly. Very happy to see us. Lots of great questions about hockey. … Nice to see some kids wearing Capitals gear.”

Through their Caps in Schools program, the team invited teachers to share their Amazon wish lists and other information about their classrooms, schools and fandom. That caught the eye of Veltri.

“I saw the ad and I’m a huge Washington Capitals fan,” she said. “Follow them, so just took a shot and applied.”

In addition to being a fan, Veltri incorporates the Capitals into her math teaching. In a not-so-subtle clue, Wednesday’s math class included a problem about angles featuring Strome, Lapierre and a hockey rink.

“We’re doing geometry, so angles and perpendicular and parallel lines are very clear on the ice with the players,” Veltri said. “It makes it more engaging and fun for the kids. I like to use all sports. They can relate to it.”

But it was time for reading when the Capitals arrived, so Strome and Lapierre took turns reading chapters from "The Wild Robot."

“My reading skills aren’t that great,” Strome said. “But I did okay, and it was a lot of fun.”

Strome later said his favorite book growing up was "Holes," while Lapierre cited the Harry Potter series.

After reading, it was time for the sharing circle and some questions for the kids.

“My favorite part about today was when they asked us what we were going to be for Halloween and if we could turn into any person or animal for a day, what would it be,” said student Avin Jacobs, who will be sporting a Spider-Man costume for trick-or-treating.

Lapierre and Strome were then on the receiving end of the questions about hockey, many involving how the ice is made and what exactly the Zamboni does to it between periods, as well as queries about offsides and own goals.

Strome also explained in some detail the mark on his face, which was the result of stitches from a collision with a puck in a recent game.

“Really good energy by the kids today,” Lapierre said. “A lot of funny stories and lots of interesting questions. I liked the part where they asked us about hockey stuff. Not everybody knows the sport. I think it’s interesting to kind of teach them.”

Several of the students then demonstrated angles on the ice rink board featuring the Capitals duo.

Before they left, Strome and Lapierre passed out some Halloween candy and Capitals pencil boxes with additional goodies inside.

“It was pretty exciting because I usually don’t get to see any Caps unless I’m at the game and I still don’t get to be that close,” said third grader Martin Wachs. “And I got their autograph which was pretty exciting.”