The student council at East Hall Middle School is involved in two programs that recycle and reuse old shoes. The students collect gently used shoes and ship them to a group in Chicago called Share Your Soles. These shoes are sanitized and then taken to needy people around the world. Most of the recipients are children who have never owned a pair of shoes. So far, students and teachers have collected and shipped more than 100 pairs of shoes to help people in need. Students also recycle tennis shoes that are past the point of donating to others. This is done through a program called Nike Reuse-a-Shoe. Students have collected more than 80 pairs of battered tennis shoes and dropped them off at Niketown in Atlanta, where they are shipped off to be shredded into a product called Nike Grind. Then they will be used to make gym floors, playground mulch and sports fields.

The following students were named to the dean’s list at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton: James Alexander, Sarah Cassady, Katie Higgins, Laura King, Wesley Loveless, Kathryn Poff and Peggy Reeves, all of Gainesville; Dani Beth Thomas of Lula; and Zachary LaVere, Taylor Soucie, Emily Turner and Jonathan Velez, all of Flowery Branch.

Ben Martin of Oakwood was named to the president’s list at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. He is the son of Mike and Abby Martin.

Jennifer Elizabeth Shook has been named to the provost’s honor roll at the University of Miami for the fall 2007 semester.

Students must have a grade point of average of 3.75 for the semester to be placed on the list. She is the daughter of Randy and Susan Shook of Gainesville.

Daniel N. Bates has been named to the dean’s list for fall 2007 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. He is the son of Jeb and Rosemary Bates of Gainesville.

Amanda Brown of Gainesville graduated in December from Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C.