LAC LA BICHE - A group of children who will be taking the bus for the first time this year learned the ins and outs of riding in a school bus at the ‘Meet the Bus’ event, which took place on the morning of Aug. 28, at Lac La Biche’s Vera M. Welsh Elementary School.
‘Meet the Bus’ is put on by Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS), and introduces students to a driver with the school division. The driver, Marlee Hildebrandt, gave those who participated in the session a tour of a school bus, and provided them with information about basic bus rules and safety.
Then, the students embarked on a short bus ride before returning to the parking lot of the school.
According to information from NLPS, the ‘Meet the Bus’ initiative is primarily aimed at kindergarten students. However, any students who have not taken the bus before are welcome to attend the sessions.
“The goal of the program is to increase students’ confidence and reduce anxiety about taking the bus to and from school,” according to the school division.
In addition to the session at Vera M. Welsh, ‘Meet the Bus’ events were held at five other schools across the Lakeland during the morning. Sessions took place at Art Smith Aviation Academy and North Star Elementary School in Cold Lake, Cold Lake Elementary School, Bonnyville’s Duclos School, and Ardmore School.
The 2025-26 school year for Northern Lights Public Schools gets underway on Sept. 2.
