ESPN broadcasters to return to their alma mater, Kennedy High

On March 8, two prominent ESPN anchors will return to their alma mater, John F. Kennedy High School, to speak with students and the general public at a special assembly.

Steve Levy, 46, a member of the class of 1983, and Adam Schefter, 45, a 1985 graduate, will field questions, discuss current sports issues and talk about how they made their way from Kennedy to ESPN.

The assembly was organized by the Kennedy student government, which is advised by social studies teacher Brad Seidman. According to Seidman, student government President Michael Schwartz, Vice President John Ingardia and Justin Barth made phone calls and wrote letters to ESPN, as well as sent messages to Levy and Schefter on Twitter. Eventually, both responded. "One Monday night, my phone rings and it's Steve Levy from ESPN,” Seidman said, adding, "Both of them were extremely open and excited” about returning to Kennedy.

The first half of the assembly will be set up like an episode of “Inside the Actor’s Studio.” Craig Papach, Kennedy’s athletic director, and Jonathan Dell’Olio, the dean of attendance, will conduct an on-stage interview with Levy and Schefter. Seidman said they would discuss "how they went about being students [at Kennedy,], going to college and becoming two of the most recognizable names on ESPN."

A question-and-answer session will follow, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions. "They're going to tell us exactly how two high school kids who just liked sports became who they are today,” Seidman said. “It’s an opportunity for high school students to come and pick the brain of someone in this field.”

Levy began his television career at WTOP-TV in 1983 while he was an undergraduate at SUNY Oswego, where he also called play-by-play for the school’s hockey team. After graduation, he worked as a sports anchor for CBS and MSG. In 1993, he joined ESPN, and has since become one of the most recognizable voices for the network. Levy, who graduated from SUNY Oswego in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in communications, with a concentration in broadcasting, received the school’s “G.O.L.D Award” in 1997, which recognizes outstanding graduates who have achieved prominence in their careers.