Grant could bring trail to VHS

Published 7:46 pm Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Verbena’s cross-country team is looking for a new place to run—somewhere that might also benefit the school and community.

The program—in its first year of existence—is competing with other school related extracurriculars across the country to win one of several grants offered by Clorox.

Verbena coach Jonathan Shedd said money would be used to build a trail that could also be used by others at the school and in the community.

“Even if it’s not three miles long, maybe we can get a mile and a half,” Shedd said. “It would be more challenging than where we’re running now—be more like what we’re competing on.”

The team practices by running around the school and athletic facilities.

Clorox is giving away one $50,000 grant and three $20,000 grants to high school programs in need. Shedd came across the offer in an education magazine.

“I thought, ‘Well, we can look and see what we can do,’” he said.

Shedd said a trail could be located at the school or at the Verbena annex, and he hopes it would promote a healthy lifestyle by others in the community.

Those interested can vote at clorox.promo.eprize.com/brightfuture/gallery by searching for “Verbena.”

Voting began Tuesday and will end Nov. 1. Those interested can vote once a day.

Shedd has sent mass emails to his contacts asking them to vote, and the coach said he also plans to begin a Facebook campaign.

The Red Devils need all the help they can get—“There’s a ton of people trying to get these things,” Shedd said—but hope to be able to help the community as well by winning the grant.