Cole and Heidi Hamels tour Philly school

Cole Hamels stood in the doorway of Allen Pinkney's Stetson Middle School classroom, eyes fixed on the music teacher belting out an aria.

"Amazing," the Phillies ace whispered to his wife, Heidi.

When Pinkney finished, the couple cheered and clapped.

"I brought my husband to see you, Mr. Pinkney," Heidi Hamels said. Then, turning to Cole, she added: "I told them you sing like a dead bird."

The room erupted in laughter, but it was pretty clear that no one minded Cole Hamels' lack of singing prowess. Through their nonprofit, the Hamels Foundation, the couple donated $50,000 to spruce up the West Kensington public school.

This morning, they toured the school with second-year principal Renato Lajara, who pointed out what the foundation's money bought - choir risers, a spotlight, video equipment, microscopes, lab tables, computers, a kiln for the art room, even an electric keyboard for Pinkney to play for his students.

Once they saw the state of the crumbling, ancient library, Heidi Hamels and her mother, foundation operations manager Kathleen Dugas, pitched in to help scrub the place, get it painted a bright greeen, toss all the pre-1950 books, and buy new ceiling tiles.

"It was a mess," Lajara said. In the couple's honor, he saw to it the room was re-named the Hamels Instructional Media Center.

Heidi Hamels, who used to teach gym, health and biology in rural Missouri, said the school was chosen from among more than 30 applications. She hopes the students take a message from the grant, she said.

"You can do this, you're worth it," Heidi Hamels said. "We wanted to give them something to be proud of."

Navigating the hallways of the 1915 school, which educates about 650 fifth- through eighth-graders, Cole Hamels said he's gotten a kick out of student responses as he walks through the halls.

"Some are super excited to see me, but some are too cool," he said. "But I know they follow us. I hope this makes them happy."

And yes, Cole said, he'll be fine to pitch tonight, despite the early wake-up call and trip to Stetson.

"It's a full-time job," Hamels said of his regular gig. "And we have to be on a flight tonight to Atlanta."