caption, page 1:

Tire Rolling
Two PHS seniors, taking part in trail cleanup in Putnam, roll tires off the trail --- after removing the tadpoles and returning them to the water. More photos on page 4. Expanded photo coverage Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.


By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Team work and community service went hand in hand last week as Putnam High School seniors cleared the trails around recreation park.
While underclassmen were taking the PSATs, seniors hit the trails clipping, raking, using white spray paint to make the trail safe and more.
The seniors broke into four groups and each went in a different direction on the trails, meeting in the middle of a couple trails. After clearing the trails they collected litter from the roads near the schools and Murphy Park, Owen Tarr field and St. Marie-Greenhalgh.
It took teamwork. First down the trails were students tossing fallen branches off the trail. Behind them, came students with the number one favorite job: using white spray paint to mark roots on the trail that were trip hazards and spraying white arrows on some tree trunks. Behind them came the next wave, wielding clippers and pruners. They cut back or cut out saplings and branches encroaching onto the path or wild roses throwing their thorny arms out. Bringing up the rear were students pushing the edges of the trail back with rakes, making it wide and beautiful.
Amy St. Martin, one of the advisors for the Civic Engagement Group, said the seniors earn community service hours by taking care of the trails in October and April. To graduate, seniors must have 20 hours of community service over the four years of high school.
Advisor Shane Donahue said the group does the trails but also offers financial education and diversity lessons and more. The other two advisors taking part in the trail sprucing were: Sarah Potpinka and Zachary Ford.
Some intrepid students balanced on rocks or logs in the tributary of the Little River to collect trash. One spot in the water seemed to be “Cheetos Lane,” with the bright orange bags caught in the rocks and branches. Students got every last one of them. They ventured off the trail into the woods and came back with trash, even tires.
One group of students snagged six tires, discovering, upon rolling them up the trail, that they were home to muck — and big fat tadpoles. Those students who didn’t suffer from the “ick” factor made it their personal mission to move every single tadpole to the tributary or the pond nearby. One went above and beyond in her effort to return the tadpoles home.
Some of the equipment was supplied by the school and some by the town’s Recreation Department.
The seniors present were: The seniors present are below: Jayden Aites, Makani Ayau, Samantha Bennett, Jenny Bouribon, Elysse Britt, Cheyanne Debold, Rachelle Deloge, Cole Dignam, Abigail Fitts, Andrew Gabbard, Jack Garcia, Kaylee Goding, Alonzo Henries, Christopher Jones, Naysa Jones, Sara Lackey, Dorian Larose, Robert Leblanc, Cooper Livingston, Cameron Lowell, Sullivan MacDonald, Jacob Mailloux, Jason Negron Encarnacion, Spencer Northup, Enrico Ong, Emeral Perry, Angelina Porter, Daniel Pratt, DeAnn Pringle, Mackenzie Reidy, Osiris Salcedo, Hailee Silveira, Emily St. Martin, Shaina Sudol, Alishia Thompson, Bailey Touchette, Jacob Tremblay, Amy Vongvirath, Eli Wagley, Jayden Walker, Guinevere Weiker, Brenden Womack, Vincent Young.

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