WHAT: L.G. Pinkston High School in Dallas will play host as the Texas Rangers, including Rangers pitcher Adrian Sampson and former Rangers infielder Mark McLemore, join ESPN, MLB and X Games for a school assembly on Tuesday, May 21, in support of Shred Hate, a bullying prevention program that aims to reduce bullying rates in Texas and schools across the country. MLB’s Vice President & Special Assistant to the Commissioner Billy Bean and X Games commentator Jimmy Coleman will join the assembly and address Pinkston students in grades 10-11 in celebration of the training students have received in cooperation with nonprofit partner No Bully.

The assembly will encourage students to continue to prevent bullying in their school in the hopes of creating a positive and motivational atmosphere. The goal of the day will be to celebrate the students’ progress with Shred Hate, while also sharing messages and tips on how they can continue to “choose kindness” throughout their school experience. Later that evening, the Rangers will host students from all 18 schools in the Dallas area that participate in the Shred Hate program as well as student-athletes from the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy.

Shred Hate is a bullying prevention program that has proven to dramatically reduce incidents of bullying in schools while encouraging kids to choose kindness. As part of the program, No Bully, a nonprofit that trains schools how to activate student compassion to eradicate bullying and cyberbullying, works directly with local school districts and cooperating schools through its innovative evidence-based training. For more information, please visit www.ShredHate.org.

WHO:

• Mark McLemore - Former Texas Rangers infielder; 19-year MLB career
• Billy Bean - Vice President & Special Assistant to the Commissioner, MLB; Former Major League outfielder
• Jimmy Coleman - X Games Coordinator
• Karin Morris - Vice President, Community Outreach, Texas Rangers; Executive Director, Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation
• Will McCoy - CEO, No Bully

*Additional Rangers representatives to be announced*

WHEN: Tuesday, May 21, 10-10:45 a.m. CT

WHERE: L.G. Pinkston High School, Gymnasium, 2200 Dennison St., Dallas, TX 75212

**Media may park on the street in front of the school before heading to the school office at the main entrance.**

RSVP: Media who wish to attend and cover the assembly should confirm by contacting Texas Rangers Communications Coordinator Kate Munson ([email protected] or 817-273-5241) by 5 p.m. on Monday, May 20.

ABOUT SHRED HATE & MLB

Since 2017, ESPN and MLB have teamed up on Shred Hate, a multi-faceted bullying prevention program that seeks to eliminate bullying by encouraging kids to choose kindness. As part of the program, No Bully, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that trains and gives schools the tools to activate student compassion as a method for eradicating bullying and cyberbullying, provides innovative, bullying prevention programs, and works directly with local school districts and cooperating schools. ESPN launched Shred Hate with the X Games in 2017, and schools that have gone through the program last year were able to reduce instances of bullying by 90 percent. Since inception, nearly 90,000 students across dozens of schools have participated in Shred Hate programming in the 2017-19 school years in Aspen (Colorado), Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.