Oak Hill bus crash memorial scheduled for Sunday

Elaine Alpert (left) lost her son Steve Glidden in the crash and later established a charitable foundation bearing his name.
(Globe staff photo by Wendy Maeda)

NEWTON

A remembrance ceremony for Newton's four Oak Hill Middle School students killed in a 2001 bus crash in Canada is planned for this Sunday at 6 p.m. in front of the school.

Everyone is welcome, said Elaine Alpert, who lost her 12-year-old son, Steve Glidden, in the crash.

As in previous years, the ceremony at Oak Hill's permanent memorial to the children is a somewhat open format, but will probably involve music, sharing happy memories of the young victims, and a moment of silence, she said.

"People talk about the community and the kids. It's a gathering point to reflect on how precious loved ones are, Alpert said.

Steve, along with his classmates Kayla Ann Rosenberg and Greg Wai Chan, both 13, and Melissa Leung, 14, were killed when a bus carrying 42 children to a music festival overturned on an exit ramp in Sussex, New Brunswick.

After the tragedy, Alpert established The Steve Glidden Foundation, which over the past five years has raised more than $500,000 to benefit programs aimed at low-income children.

The foundation's annual fundraising event for 2008 -- a huge community yard sale -- is scheduled for June 6 to 8 at the Brigham Community House in Newton Highlands, Alpert said.

Anyone interested in more information can visit the Steve Glidden Foundation online.

-- Erica Noonan