According to Traci Broman, Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation Events Supervisor, CHS students will play a large role in the organization’s Tour de Carmel event, set to take place on Sept. 20 at 8:00 a.m.

“There are a number of Carmel High School students that are volunteering,” Broman said. “The Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council (CMYC), that group is volunteering. We actually have one of our four rest stops is at the high school. It’s in that west lot diagonally across from the library.”

Matt Klineman, CMYC President and senior, said that he’s expecting around 1000 riders to come through his rest stop.

At the pit stop we’re just going to have food, games, there will be a band there, so CMYC is just kind of there to facilitate the rest stop and make sure everything goes smoothly,” Klineman said. “We like to have fun with our events, so we created a theme, and that theme is going to be an 80’s theme. That’s kind of the fun aspect, and then we’ll be helping with some volunteer preparation, we’ll be putting out some signs before the actual event, the night before, just kind of some directional signs.”

Klineman also said that he is recruiting volunteers from the high school for the race.

“For preparation we’re just kind of coordinating volunteers for the rest stop at this point and helping to advertise (for) the event a little bit,” he said.

According to Broman, the bike ride is an event entrenched in the local community.

“Tour de Carmel is a family-friendly bike ride. There’s a 10-mile and a 20-mile route option (and) we also have an adaptive route. It rides through the neighborhoods, by businesses, through the parks, down the Monon Trail, pretty much all around Carmel,” she said.

Broman also said that high school students are an integral part of the process of putting the event together.

“I talk to high school students a lot just to get feedback,” she said. “(High school students) always have great ideas of activities people would enjoy, things families and kids would want to do along the route and at the rest stops.”

Klineman, meanwhile, said he sees the event as a great opportunity for CHS students to become more connected to their community.

“It’s a community event and it’s just kind of a way for them to get involved in a big annual event that serves the city of Carmel and the school of Carmel High School,” he said.

Students can sign up to volunteer at the event at http://carmelclayparks.com/volunteer/.