Students Continue to Leave Mark on Aqua Lane Park

Ken-Ton School District students and staff are continuing to leave a mark on one of the Town of Tonawanda’s greatest treasures: Aqua Lane Park.

The park is located along the Niagara River shoreline where Sheridan Drive intersects with River Road. Through the park runs the Niagara River Greenway Shoreline Trail, a paved path which connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Ken-Ton School District has adopted this section of the trail with students/staff regularly cleaning and maintaining it throughout the year as a community service initiative.

On Saturday, May 2nd, students and staff from across the district gathered at the park for the annual  Earth Day-inspired clean-up. The group walked around with buckets and picked up trash scattered along the district's adopted portion of the Niagara River Greenway Shoreline Trail, beautifying the area and making it a safe and welcoming place for visitors.

Meanwhile, work is continuing on five picnic tables which are being painted by members of the District Leadership Council (DLC) under the leadership of two student representatives, Dominic DiGiulio from Kenmore West and Emma Cudzilo from Kenmore East, as well as Board of Education President Matthew Chimera and Superintendent Sabatino Cimato. The DLC is designed to encourage student voice and leadership and last year, DLC members opted to concentrate their efforts on improving Aqua Lane Park on a yearly basis. Transforming picnic tables there is this yearr's contribution.

The district has a special relationship with Aqua Lane Park. Between the park and Grand Island are three ecologically significant islands in the Niagara River commonly referred to as Strawberry Island, Tern Island, and Motor Island. Throughout the year, these islands are home to a variety of species of migratory birds such as Bald Eagles, Great Egrets, Common Terns, and Great Blue Herons. Thanks to a district-led initiative in partnership with the Town of Tonawanda, Rotary Club of Kenmore, and Niagara River Greenway, Aqua Lane Park is now home to viewfinders which allow guests to observe the habitats as well as signage with information about the birds that nest there and a beautiful bench for guests to enjoy.