‘First Ride’ program teaches safety

It can be daunting task to hop on a school bus for the first time.
Besides the fact that is probably the first separation between a youngster and their parents, it also is the introduction of the child to a place where they will be spending a great deal of time growing up—school.
To ease this transition, the Rainy River District School Board offered the “First Ride” program to children and their parents last Wednesday morning here and in Rainy River that afternoon.
Presented by Darlene Madill, the board’s transportation officer, the program attracted a sizable crowd of parents with their children of junior kindergarten age.
Appropriate for the age group, the presentation began with a “Winnie the Pooh” video that had most of the kids enthralled.
The children learned along with Winnie, Tigger, and Piglet about being quiet on the bus, keeping all body parts inside the bus, not pushing, and other things grown-ups might think of as common courtesy.
But, according to bus driver Ann Flamand, sometimes children need a little refresher course in these skills.
“You have to remind them of the rules sometimes,” she said. “But, usually after a while they are fine.”
This is Flamand’s second year driving the school bus and she was more than happy to give the youngsters a sneak peek as part of the “First Ride” program.
“I love driving this bus,” she smiled. “It’s got to be the best job.”
After the video, the group marched down to board Flamand’s bus. In an orderly fashion, they grasped the hand bar and walked past the towering seats where they sat quietly.
For this ride, their parents were on hand to keep an eye on them. But, come the first day of school today, they have to ride alone.
Flamand said this is the most troublesome thing for the tots.
“The biggest fear is that they have to deal with a new person,” she noted, adding that during the first days of school, it is not uncommon for a few children to shed some tears.
As the bus drove around the block, most of the children clearly were enjoying their first ride.
“I love the bumps,” smiled one pleased student.