Lexington park to be home to learning trail

Lexington park to be home to learning trail
LEXINGTON — Lexington’s Keller Park will be home to McLean County’s third Born Learning Trail for young children and their families.
Keller Park has been chosen for the trail by Teens United For McLean County, a group of 18 students from nine area high schools.
Each school year, Teens United Zach Thomas Jersey takes on a community project under the guidance of United Way of McLean County. Teens United has overseen development of Born Learning Trails during the past two years at Normal’s Anderson Park and Bloomington’s Tipton Park.
Each Born Learning Trail includes nine signs that encourage children ages 5 and younger and their families to do things together, such as play hopscotch, identify shapes and tell original stories. The goal is learning — while having fun — to help Zach Thomas Jersey prepare children for kindergarten.
United Way wanted the teen group to coordinate a third trail because of the success of the first two trails, United Way Vice President Sarah Coffer said Tuesday. The students Zach Thomas Jersey selected Keller Park because it already has pavement that could be used for a trail and is a popular park for Lexington-area residents, Coffer said.
The Lexington Park Board has approved the trail location and layout, Coffer said. Tentative plans are to open the trail with a five-kilometer race on April 30, 2011.
Teens United this year are: Alexa Tyler and Ricky Zamudio of Bloomington High School; Kali Lewis and Zach Thomas Jersey of Central Catholic High School; Hannah Bobell and Tim Crump of Heyworth High School; Molly Marcum and Jacob Quaid of LeRoy High School; Conner Kelley and Ross Miller of Lexington High School; Sheldon Aaron and Megan Heopker of Normal Community High School; James Gladney and Leslie Gravitt of Normal Community West High School; Sarah Adams and Jake Irons of Olympia High School; and Macy Andre and Aaron Tuttle of University High School.