Student Advisory Board members pitch in at a variety of Buccaneer community outreach events

Would you like to find out what it takes to work for a professional sports franchise?

Are you interested in giving back to your community?

And, are you a high school student who will be entering your sophomore, junior or senior year this fall?

If you answered yes to all three of these questions, then you could be a candidate for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Student Advisory Board.

The Student Advisory Board (SAB) was first put together by the Bucs' community relations department in 1999, and it has since become an integral part of the team's community outreach efforts. Every year, the SAB brings together 40 highly-motivated high school students interested in performing community service projects, fostering Buccaneer spirit in their schools and developing leadership skills in preparation for continuing education.

The 2003-2004 Student Advisory Board officially completed its year-long term on May 6. Applications for the 2004-2005 Student Advisory Board are currently being accepted. Click here for a printable application for the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers Student Advisory Board Member, or call 813-870-2700, ext. 274 for more information.

The outgoing SAB Board included students representing 34 Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Pasco and Sarasota county schools. The opportunity to meet other high school students from around the Bay area is one of the main attractions of the Board. Of course, the student representatives are also hands-on participants in many community service projects, during which they have the opportunity to work side-by-side with Buccaneer players, coaches and staff members.

During the past year, SAB members participated in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Women's Organization Fall Festival, a Halloween Party at the Children's Home that featured pumpkin carving and trick-or-treat bag decorating, the Thanksgiving Gift Basket distribution at Metropolitan Ministries, the Dream Center Block Party, Susan B. Komen's Race for the Cure and the Buccaneers 4th Annual Draft Day Dash.

In their own high schools, Board members serve as Buccaneer community liaisons to their fellow students.

SAB members are provided with team promotional items to distribute to other fans in their schools. Among the items handed out by the SAB last year were key chains, notepads, team photos, window clings and Buccaneers and NFL schedule cards.

All SAB members are also required to work at Buccaneers home games and to attend the home games in which they are not working. At each game, half of the council members work as customer service representatives in the East and West Club Lounges of Raymond James Stadium, while the rest of the members relax and enjoy the action.

The SAB holds monthly meetings in a variety of locations, such as the team's training camp site, the press box at Raymond James Stadium, the locker room at One Buc Place, the East Club Level of the stadium, the Pirate Ship in the north end zone and the practice field at team headquarters. Through their interaction with the team, Board Members get a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of a professional football organization.

Board members also get to share in the professional and personnel wisdom of successful men and women in the sports industry, as the SAB members are often given presentations by Buccaneer staff members.

Even with all of these side benefits, the primary goal of the Buccaneers Student Advisory Board remains giving back to the community and developing the leaders of tomorrow.

"I think it was a great experience being on the SAB," said outgoing member Kayce Tillett. "I had the chance to meet a lot of new friends and the community service projects were a lot of fun too. I wish every high school student could experience what I did this year. I had a great time!"

"I saw the SAB as a great way to learn responsibility and leadership," said Tyrone Moses, a former SAB representative. "It was great to be around the organization and see how everything works."

"It was interesting to learn about the logistics of a professional sports team and how much is really involved in the organization," said Kari Pfeiffer of Palm Harbor University School.

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The Outgoing SAB

The 2003-2004 Student Advisory Board members were Kathryn Alberts (Berkeley Prep), Lauren Almand (Armwood), Lindsey Askew (Middleton), Katie Bello (Clearwater Central Catholic), McCrae Bennett (J.W. Mitchell), Bruce Bernard (Sickles), Azar Boehm (Jesuit), Alexandra Boehm (Tampa Catholic), Dane Boston (Dunedin), Andrew Davis (King), Amy Erdman (Wesley Chapel), Danielle Gang (Durant), James Garner (Plant City), Yvanna Gonzalez (Tampa Catholic), Antonia Green (Blake), Alyse Greiffendorf (Brandon), Tim Harrigan (Countryside), Erika Hartley (Pine View), Morgan Heitel (Manatee), Laymon Hicks (Jefferson), Jessica Hudock (Academy of Holy Names), Jessica Kelso (Riverview), Moira Kiernan (Palm Harbor), Jamie Parsons (Chamberlain), LeKeisha Pittman (Alonso), Brooke Pontenberg (Admiral Farragut), Shayna Raynor (Gaither), Margaret Rorebeck (Plant), Tami Rush (Bloomingdale), Stephen Sikes (Wesley Chapel), Jennifer Smesko (Hillsborough), Eleni Sokos (Saint Stephen's Episcopal), Kelly Swindell (Durant), Meagan Trocke (Riverview), Jeremy Valdes (Jefferson), Kristina Welch (Pinellas Park), Jill Welsh (Plant City), Tyler West (St. Petersburg), Amanda Wetherington (Plant City) and Geryah White (Temple Heights Christian).

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Click here for a printable application for the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers Student Advisory Board Member, or call 813-870-2700, ext. 274 for more information.