IN Canon-Mac Fall 2016 | Page 57

Hayden is pictured here with Cecil Elementary second-graders. Canon-Mac Reminds Motorists About School Bus Safety A s the academic year continues, we at Canon-McMillan would like to remind community members to be cognizant of buses traveling throughout our neighborhoods to transport students to and from school each day. When traveling during the school year, please remember that, under Pennsylvania law: H Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses with their red lights flashing and with their stop arm extended. H Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped. H Motorists that are following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety. H If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping. H Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety. Drivers convicted of violating the above may face a $250 fine, five points on their driving record and/or a 60-day license suspension. Need more information? Check out the state Department of Transportation’s School Bus Stopping Law Fact Sheet. Canon-Mac | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 55 C AN ON - MAC SC HOOL DI STRI C T NE WS C ongrats are in order for Cecil Intermediate School sixth-grader Hayden Zissis, who recently won a $500 grant from The Sprout Fund’s Change Machine. The Change Machine provides money to support, celebrate and showcase unique youth-led initiatives with the power to incite positive change. The projects are innovative, non-traditional ideas that focus on current issues and challenges faced by youth, and inspire a diverse group of participants to be more active, involved, and civically-engaged. Hayden’s project? Building four buddy benches for the elementary schools that feed into Cecil Intermediate. The idea behind the Buddy Benches? That no kid is lonely and left out during recess. Hayden said he noticed that some kids don’t have anyone to play with at recess and it made him sad, so he decided to build the Buddy Benches. When kids don’t have friends to pal around with at recess, they can sit on the Buddy Bench, and when their school mates see them there, they can invite them to play. Not only did Hayden build the benches: He and his friends also put together a presentation and video for Cecil Elementary second-graders. Two of the benches—which Hayden made from scratch— have been delivered. The other two are expected to be delivered sometime this summer. Canon-Mac Cecil Intermediate Student Wins $500, Builds Buddy Benches