Students and community members alike filtered in and out of the Triton Center on Tuesday, most leaving a pint lower than when they entered.

The blood drive and bone marrow registry at the San Clemente High School was sponsored by the Be a Hero, Become a Donor club at the high school, which puts on three major blood and tissue drives every year.

"Last year, we collected about 500 units of blood, which could save as many as 1,500 lives," said Derek Cousineau, 16, who heads up the club at the school.

He said the group was organizing a community event in March and another drive in late spring.

Sue Forster is a spokeswoman for the San Diego Blood Bank, the organization partnering with the students to collect the blood and marrow samples.

"These kids are pretty special," she said. "None of the other schools do this."

She said the drive had booked 125 appointments for the day, minus walk-ins.

The event was held in memory of longtime SCHS teacher Jeff Spear, who succumbed to cancer three years ago.

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