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McEleney Toyota is Restoring Royalty at Clinton High School

Local school districts know that money is hard to come by for special projects. That’s why a Clinton car dealer is stepping up.

Local school districts know that money is hard to come by for special projects. That’s why a Clinton car dealer is stepping up. McEleney Toyota is joining forces with the River Kings and Queens Booster Club.

Practice makes perfect on Thursday for band students at Clinton High School. Rehearsal sessions lead to a memorable performance, but working out someplace else is less than ideal.

“When it gets wet and muddy, we have to cancel rehearsal,” said Director of Bands Josh Hahn. “We’ve marched in the mud before, but it’s not much fun.”

It’s one reason why McEleney Toyota presented a $10,000 check to Clinton boosters. Like all school districts these days, Clinton is doing more with less.

“You hate to see kids shortchanged from an educational opportunity,” said John McEleney, McEleney Toyota president. “We’ve got a great educational system here in Clinton. We’ve got an outstanding high school.”

The money will seed a field turf project. Boosters are working to raise nearly $800,000. It will replace natural grass on the football field with an artificial surface.

“Inspiring, enthusiastic opportunity to jump forward,” said booster Ken Kroemer.

The project is a testament to a caring community willing to pitch in during tough times. It’s a project that will benefit the entire campus at Clinton High.

After boosters funded extensive stadium renovations, they want the new field ready for the 2013 football season.

Band students will be among the first to try it out. Marching for them will be a whole new ballgame. They’ll be practicing where they perform.

“Because we’re a competitive marching band, a lot of the sites now are getting turf. It’s a different surface, so the kids will be more used to that surface when we go to march other places,” Hahn said.

Thanks to volunteer support, they’ll be ready to wow the crowd one note at a time.

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