Ads on the Bus???

Schools everywhere are experiencing budget cuts, some are over a million dollars in the last few years. How do they make up for the lost money? Kids still go to school, and the number of children in school is increasing every year. With less money and more students, how can schools keep up?

Schools in Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and a few others have tried to make up for the loss in a rather out-of-the-box way, by putting district-approved advertisments on school buses. Where and how big the ads are depend on the regulations for each district. Other states allow only interior ads on the buses.


This method has brought in a considerable amount of money for the schools that use it, but is it safe? The reason school buses are yellow is because people notice them and tend to be more careful. If an ad is on the side, then you have drivers getting closer to the bus so they can read it. Instead maybe it's on the back, and other drivers notice the ad but not the brake lights.

Does it really help more than it hurts? The schools need money, but is putting the students at risk really the way to do it? There are no in-depth studies on this topic as of yet and until there is, I have to question whether or not it is okay.

Leave a comment on your thoughts: do you think they should be allowed? For more facts on school bus ads, click on the post's title and read the link.

Thank You,
Haleigh

Illegal Passing is a Problem!!!

When a school bus is stopped, lights are flashing, and the stop arm is extended, you MUST stop as well! There are students leaving the bus, and some will be crossing the road. Keep your eyes open and be aware of what's going on.



Each year students are injured while entering or exiting the school bus. This is a problem that can be very easily fixed. All you need to do is stop and pay attention. Over the last forty years about eleven students are hit a year, on average, by vehicles that ignore the stopped buses. If you ask me, that is eleven too many.

In all seriousness, passing a stopped bus isn't only dangerous, it's illegal. You will be given a ticket. The drivers are told to report any passing vehicle to base when they return from route. We then take the plate numbers and hand them over to the police. We don't like people getting in trouble, but we like it even less when the students are in danger.

Thank You,
Haleigh

Driven Diver Challenge

Noticing the national trend toward higher body weights and less physically active lifestyles in the results of our employees’ regular School Bus Physicals, we tried to think of way to improve health at our company. We created a Biggest Loser-style program.

We used our Driven Driver Challenge (DDC) as a motivator to encourage Hoglund Transportation employees to live healthier lifestyles. Over the span of four months, the participants learned how to live in healthy ways, starting with the basics of eating right and how to exercise. Professionals led weekly sessions in diet and nutrition, and in the gym. After being taught, participants were tested on what they learned, in one way or another. At the end of the four months we hoped to see improvement in each of the participants’ overall lifestyles.

To be a part of the DDC the employees signed a written contract stating the terms of the challenge. Some of those terms included the cost of joining, $20.00 once a month (1/2 the cost of the monthly gym membership), and agreeing to commit to the program. Attendance at weekly nutrition meetings was mandatory. The only people not allowed to participate were those with to poor overall health and people who’d undergone digestion-altering surgeries in the past five years. The contract also listed the award for the winner: a trip for one week to the winner’s choice of destination, a $300.00 voucher for airfare, and the “pot” of cash collected over the weeks for various activities.

After signing the contract, participants received a journal to document their eating and exercising habits. We used the journal to award points at the weekly meetings. The person with the most points won the weekly prize donated by generous local businesses. Participants earned points for how they ate, the number of times they visited the gym, and for how much weight/overall body weight percentage they lost. Participants who set goals also received points.

During the weekly mandatory meeting, participants weighed in ($1.00). Extra dollars were collected for any pound gained, for missed meetings, and for refusals to weigh. At meetings we listened to a certified nutritionist (Jen) who was always in attendance. Participants could go over meal ideas and discuss what was working-and what wasn’t. Also, we often consulted with one another to gain ideas for new recipes. We kept approved recipe copies on a table in the meeting room throughout the four-month program along with nutrition booklets so participants and other employees had unrestricted access to them. During our meetings, participants asked any questions of the nutritionist and received quick and clear answers. The participants used the information obtained at these meetings to help lead them toward improved health.

At The Rink participants went over all the basics of exercising with Eddie. He taught us about how good nutrition increases our workout productivity. He offered constant examples of good eating habits for before and after workouts. He taught the proper way to use each of the many exercise machines available at The Rink. Participants learned about exercises that would push them, but not overwork them. Eddie taught us how to rotate our focus area each day so as to not overwork the muscles and cause damage. On Sundays at noon Eddie would host a “Boot Camp” for one hour, during which he created a variety of stations for the participants, each time showing us new ways to get active either alone or with a partner. The sessions were open to anyone, and it only cost $10.00 each time.

Our DDC resulted in not one, but two winners and our winners are Melissa and Shelley. Melissa says she learned two major things from this program: it’s not just about how much she eats, it’s about what she eats, and that exercising is more than losing weight, it’s about getting stronger, healthier and enjoying life. Overall she lost 40 lbs, meeting her initial goal.

Shelley said, “The best thing I learned is I don’t have to starve myself to lose weight.” She stated she was very happy to learn she could eat good fats like peanut butter and almonds that she wouldn’t eat before. Overall, she lost 17.6 lbs. Both winners won the grand prize.

Our consolation winner is Rachel who said, “My favorite part about this was Jen. Her information every week has been so valuable and helpful.” She also said she really liked learning how to put together a meal plan, and how she plans to continue using all she learned even after the program ends. Overall she lost 26.3 lbs. in total, and in the end won a make-over, a haircut, and $40 from the pot.

Our actual food plan looks like this:
Breakfast: 2 grains, 1 dairy, 1 fruit
3 Hours Later: 1 grain, 1 fruit
Lunch: 2 grains, 1 dairy, 1 fruit, 1-2 vegetable, 3 oz. protein
3 Hours Later: pick 2 groups, about 200 calories
Supper: 2 grains, 1 dairy, 2 vegetable, 3 oz. protein
















Each person wrote a statement about what most mattered to him or her during the four-month program. Some of what they wrote is exceptional:

• “…I’m very proud of EVERYONE involved in this…”
• “…I can teach my new habits to my family and keep them healthy…”
• “…learning to eat more natural versus using so many substitutes or fat frees…”
• “…eat more fiber bread rather than low-calorie bread…”
• “…her motivation is just astonishing and makes me just want to follow along…”
• “…I’m playing with my children, not just watching…”
• “…it has helped improved my mental health and self-esteem…”
• “…even at my age I can do a lot of things to be strong and healthy…”
• “…these ‘food rules’ work to create a healthy body…”

Because of DDC we were not only able to learn how to lose weight, but how to live a healthier lifestyle. Considering that was our initial goal, DDC was a very successful program. Learning how to live in a healthy way has benefitted each participant in a different way, all of which are positive. More than a challenge to get into shape, this was a challenge to change our lives for the better. In the end this program has made a big difference in the participants’ lives, and like Jen said, “Once you know this stuff, you can never unlearn it. It’ll stay with you a lifetime!” We think she’s right.

Bullies on the Bus

When a School bus driver looks in their mirror, they see the most important reason to drive safe, the students. Driving a vehicle that is on average 30-40 feet long and 7-8 feet across is a tremendous responsibility; even more so when it is transporting approximately 70 children.

Now, imagine sitting in the driver's seat of a bus. You hear shouting coming from behind you, so you look in your mirror. You see two children, one is hitting and the other being hit. The first thing you think to do is say, "Stop!" but they can't hear you over the noise of the other students. Bringing your eyes back to the road you see a red light, and you nearly drove through it. The potential to make mistakes when your attention is pulled away from the road exists.

Bullying on a school bus is more than dangerous, it can be deadly. The above scenario is from a movie on bullying called "Tears on the Highway." In the movie, the bus actually goes through the red light and is hit by another vehicle causing severe injuries for many students. Things happen in the bus, just like they happen in every neighborhood and in every lunchroom. Some of what happens is actually bullying. Every year, students are bullied and every year the bullying gets worse. At Hoglund Transportation, we try our best to make sure that all of the students are taken care of and feel safe on the bus. Our drivers take an active part in preventing bullying by reporting any and every incident to base. By doing this and other things, we plan to avoid a situation like the one described above.

There are many students on the bus each and every day, so not all incidents are witnessed by the school bus driver. If you or your child are having a problem, you need to let us know so we can try to fix it. If we don't know about it, we can't help.

Thank You,
Haleigh

In the Danger Zone

In the image above is an overview of the danger zone surrounding a school bus.

The danger zone is an area where either the bus driver is unable to clearly see the student or where the student is not clearly visible to a passing vehicle. This area is to be avoided as much as possible. The name "Danger Zone" is used just to make people aware of the possible risks
and to remind people to be careful.

One woman, school bus driver Gloria Buley, thought that she could lessen the risk of the danger zone by adding an extra mirror to buses. This mirror allows the drivers to see roughly fifteen ft more in the danger zone! Also, to deter other motor vehicles from passing on the right, there is a stop sign on the back of the mirror. This mirror folds out when the school bus door is opened, and has a quick release for emergency situations.

If you would like to learn more about this item, you can click on this post's title and follow the link to their web page. The deviced appears in the July 2011 vol. 57 no.6 issue of the School Bus Fleet magazine.

Thank You,
Haleigh