A slew of brand-new students got to test out the bus last week before they head to school for the first day.
On Aug. 13 kids from Barrhead and the County of Barrhead had an opportunity to have their first school bus experience.
“I’m really excited,” said Aubrey Tilme, the first school bus rider in the family with her mom, Janine. Aubrey will be attending Neerlandia Public School.
“I got a letter from the school bus,” said Ayden Rowbottom (an aspiring doctor) with his mother, Jenna.
Ayden is enrolled in French Immersion.
Liam Barsi shyly nodded when asked if he was excited about his first school bus ride. Liam will be attending Barrhead Elementary shared his mom, Katelyn. His big brother, Nate, has already been on the school bus for two years.
There were two buses staged for the event to help new students get comfortable with riding the school bus.
Twelve youngsters, buzzing with excitement, and their families were in the first group with an equal number of people assigned to the second bus.
They showed up to go for a bus ride and learn about the safety rules.
Nicole Braun was the school bus driver who would be driving Aubrey, Ayden, Liam, other children and their family members on their first school bus experience.
Jeanette Williams was one of the speakers going over the safety rules before everyone boarded the school bus for a ride.
Williams has been a school bus driver for 30 years and explained the safety zone areas around the bus to the new riders. She demonstrated that the school bus driver cannot see kids who get too close to the bus and cautioned against horseplay on the bus.
Yellow lights flashing on the bus means that the bus is going to stop soon and pick up or drop off students. When the red lights come on the stop arm comes out and the doors will open to let children on or off the bus. Everyone walked around the bus with Williams to see all the lights on the bus.
Many happy faces were seen as the bus pulled away on their adventure.
