Glen Meadow cleans up

VERNON-More than 30 students from Glen Meadow Middle School took part in a clean-up of Canistear Road on Saturday. The students, all members of the Peer Leader program, volunteered their time to pick up litter along Canistear Road, which runs from the center of Highland Lakes to Route 23. "We received a $500 mini-grant from the Clean Community Program in return for cleaning the entire 5.8 miles of Canistear Road," said Kathleen Belli, a multi-media teacher at Glen Meadow who also runs the Peer Leader program. "We divided the road into two-mile sections and had about ten kids working on each section," she added. The students were out on Canistear Road bright and early and appeared to have no problem giving up their Saturday morning to help the community. "Its hard work, but I like doing it because I live around here, and I like knowing that it's nice and clean," said eighth grader Amy McBride. The Peer Leader group participates in many fundraising and outreach activities over the course of the school year, including the Red Ribbon Scholarship and a bake sale, the proceeds of which go to Wal-Mart to buy Christmas presents for the children of migrant workers in the area. "Since the beginning of the school year we have already raised $1,200 for the hurricane victims by raffling an Ipod," said Belli.