ASTORIA– Approximately 25 students representing the St. Demetrios High School Student Council and National Honor Society, Athenian Chapter, braved the falling temperatures and windy conditions to assist in cleaning up Athens Square Park on November 17.

Under the supervision of Lynne Kennedy, who works on various projects through the New York City Council’s Parks Equity Initiative, the students helped rake leaves, clear the playground area of any debris and trash, and placed mulch around the base of the surrounding trees.

Athens Square Park has a special significance to the St. Demetrios community; besides its location one block away from the school building, it was established with the efforts of the late Dennis Syntilas, a proud Greek-American, who had statues of Ancient Greek figures installed in the park. Every summer, cultural events are held and enjoyed by hundreds of Astoria residents in the open space. Syntilas’ widow, Rita, is a much-loved and respected teacher at St. Demetrios High School who has taught there for over 40 years.

In addition to helping clean and maintain the Park, students also collected non-perishable food items that were delivered to the Park for distribution to various homeless centers.