TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Students Meet Their NFL Pen Pals

ADVERTISEMENT

By JESSICA BALANZA

jbalanza@tampatrib.com

Published: January 27, 2009

TAMPA - Fifth-grade pen pals from eight Tampa Bay area schools learned a lesson in diversity and enjoyed the company of several NFL football players Monday morning at Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School.

After two months of communicating, the students were united with their pen pals through the Super Bowl XLIII One World Super Huddle.

The NFL's diversity program, One World: Connecting Communities, Cultures and Classrooms, hosts the event annually. The program assigns children a pen pal from a different ethnic background and after communicating through letters they get to meet and participate in activities collectively.

"I got to meet my pen pal," said Michael Christie, 12, of Tampa's Witter Elementary. "I learned he likes some of the stuff I do and that he is different. And that's OK."

"It's great to bring the community together," said David Krichavsky, the NFL's director of community affairs. "To use the power of the NFL to bring people who otherwise wouldn't get to interact and then make it an educational experience is really important to us."

The pen pals got the opportunity to participate in four different stations while interacting with the players. The stations featured music, dancing, art and cooking.

The schools involved in the program included Hernando County's Brooksville Elementary, Crystal Lake in Lakeland, Clearwater's High Point Elementary, Richey Elementary in New Port Richey, Tampa's Sacred Heart Academy, Bradenton's Oneco Elementary and Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary and Witter.

Other than meeting their pen pals, they got to meet players such as Tampa Bay Buccaneers Carnell "Cadillac" Williams and Jermaine Phillips, Tony Richardson from the New York Jets and Duke Preston from the Buffalo Bills.

"It was an honor that Derrick Brooks invited me," said Tampa Bay Buccaneer defensive lineman Chris Hovan. "The One World concept is great. Just look at how much fun the kids are having."

Reporter Jessica Balanza can be reached at (813) 865-1518.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT