Wharton Competes For Grant to Refurbish Track

The effort to raise funds to resurface track is being dubbed "Project S.O.S.," or "Save Our Shins." That's because the running area has never been resurfaced in the schools 15 years of existence. There are uneven lanes and standing water — situations that officials say hinder success and even safety.

The Wharton Track Resurfacing Initiative, composed of administrators, students, parents and organizations, is helping to raise funds for a new synthetic eight-lane track.

The Wes Newton WHS Alumni 5K Walk/Run will be held on Dec. 18, 2011. Proceeds will go toward the project.

But locals can also help by voting for Wharton High School in Pepsi's Refresh Everything Program. Wharton hopes to be in the top 10 by Dec. 31 to receive the award, a $50,000 grant. As of 2:30 p.m. Saturday, they were ranked 26th.

The office of City Councilwoman Lisa Montelione is urging residents to get out the vote, too. Multiple votes can be cast until the Dec. 31 deadline. To vote, go to www.refresheverything.com and sign-up for an account. Once you have an account established, enter "Wharton" into the search engine and the description will appear on the screen. Click on "Vote for this idea."

To vote by phone, go to the mobile site, m.refresheverything.com, and then register yourself. Then text Pepsi (73774) and in the message line type 110786.