By Kayley Frank
ANDERSON — Although North Side Middle School eighth-grader Zach Burkhardt might be an Indianapolis Colts fan at heart, on Friday, he’s going to be supporting the Denver Broncos.
Zach is one of two students from Anderson Community Schools who were selected to hand-deliver Indianapolis’ bid for the opportunity to host the 2012 Super Bowl. On Friday, he will travel to Denver to give the bid to the team’s owners.
“I’m a little nervous,” he admitted. “But it was pretty amazing to be chosen to go.”
Kavelle Brooks, an eighth-grader from South Side Middle School who will be traveling to Chicago to deliver the bid to the owners of the Bears, felt the same way.
“I was really happy when I found out I was chosen,” he said. “It’s going to be a wild ride.”
But Kavelle and Zach are just two of 32 eighth-graders from Indianapolis and the surrounding areas who will be delivering Indianapolis’ bid. According to Dianna Boyce, a representative of the Indianapolis Super Bowl 2012 Bid Committee, the committee wanted to choose eighth-graders to participate in the bid delivery because they will be graduating high-school seniors in 2012.
“This isn’t just a chance to deliver the bids,” she said. “If Indianapolis does host the Super Bowl in 2012, these students will act as ambassadors for the city and will be involved with planning and preparation for the event over next few years.”
Kavelle and Zach were chosen to participate in the bid delivery after the bid committee contacted the ACS superintendent’s office, and according to school administrators, both of the students were logical choices.
“The committee wanted high-model character student athletes,” said Patrick Fassnacht, principal of South Side Middle School. “As soon as we heard about the nomination process, Kavelle’s face popped into my mind — and as we moved through the selection process, he proved to be the natural choice.”
Kelly Sinclair, assistant principal of North Side Middle School, said that Zach was at the top of the list of students who might represent North Side.
“Zach’s a good student athlete and a wonderful example of the kind of student the bid committee was looking for,” she said. “He’s humble and very kind.”
Both of the students are involved in athletics, various school committees and other extracurricular activities. Kavelle recently returned from a mission trip to Hope Hill Children’s Home in Kentucky, where he completed service projects and drummed in a band. Zach just returned from Japan, where he competed in a national judo competition. His team placed 25th out of 250 other teams.
And according to both Fassnacht and Sinclair, the chance to participate in the bid delivery is a great opportunity not only for Kavelle and Zach, but also for all of ACS.
“Both of the students are great representatives, and this event really makes the kids feel important,” Sinclair said. “It’s a great honor for ACS.
Both Fassnacht and Sinclair will travel on Friday with Kavelle and Zach, respectively, and Fassnacht said that he’s appreciated the opportunity to be involved with the bid committee.
“It’s a neat opportunity for the students,” he said. “It’s great to see a student like Kavelle that works hard and gives so freely of himself have great things happen to him.”
According to Boyce, both Phoenix and Houston are also placing bids on the 2012 Super Bowl, but she believes that having Indiana students deliver the bid will be something unique. “It shows that this goes beyond just Indianapolis,” she said. “It’s an effort that encompasses the support of all of Central Indiana.”
Sinclair agreed. “The NFL mandates that all bids must be delivered on May 9,” she said. “The other cities are likely to simply use courier services, and I think Indianapolis has taken a more personal approach. I would be impressed if I was a team owner.”
