19 Bright Yellow Buses, 600 Brighter Futures

Why a Quality, Red Cloud Education Actually Starts on a Bus

 

It’s 4:30 am—still hours before dawn—but Red Cloud 10th grader Grace Bush is already getting dressed for the school day. Winter is long on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and the temperature outside is hovering just below zero as she pulls out her heaviest coat.

The house is dark and quiet, but Grace says she feels lucky she doesn’t have to wait outside in the cold, like some of her classmates. Around 5:20, she spots the bright yellow school bus coming slowly down the icy road and climbs aboard.

Each morning it takes Grace more than two hours to get to Red Cloud. The heater on her bus sometimes isn’t powerful enough to warm the frigid air and, on days like that, she brings a blanket and wraps herself in it. But Grace says the cold and early mornings are worth it to come to Red Cloud. Away from the fights and trouble that plagued her last school, now she can focus on her education.

“I think the [long bus ride] is worth it. I don’t like it—it’s really cold and sometimes the heaters barely work. But it gets me to school…I came to Red Cloud because at my last school there was so much drama and fights, and too much getting into trouble. I had to change and stay out of trouble, so I came here.” - Grace Bush, sophomore

One of Grace’s classmates on the same bus route, Tad Bowman, feels exactly the same way.

“If the bus broke down, or stopped coming, I wouldn’t be able to make it to Red Cloud,” he explains. “I put up with the early mornings and cold bus ride, because the education is top notch.”

Grace and Tad’s situation isn’t unusual. Many of our students ride the bus across Pine Ridge for more than two hours a day to get to school. And without the buses, they wouldn’t be able to come. 

BY THE NUMBERS

1068: Miles traveled by Red Cloud buses each school day.


95: Percent of our students who rely on our buses to get to school.


210,000: Odometer reading of 4 RCIS buses, all 15 years or older.


675: Amount, in dollars, to transport one student for a school year.

Red Cloud’s bus routes cover almost the entire 2.8 million acres of reservation land, an area larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Added together, they drive more than 1000 miles every day to deliver our 600 Lakota students to their classrooms. Imagine traveling those long distances in some of the nation’s most extreme weather, and you'll understand why providing safe, efficient transportation is one of Red Cloud’s greatest challenges—and most critical priorities.

“Around the country, about half of all elementary and high school students rely on buses to get them to school. But on Pine Ridge, nearly all of our kids—close to 95 percent—need our buses in order to stay in school,” says Ted Hamilton, superintendent.

“The realities are different here. Some of our families don’t have the means to keep their cars running or to keep up with the cost of gas. So a Red Cloud education actually starts with getting our students here on the buses—ready to learn and grow in our classrooms.”

“When the bus breaks down, I usually don’t come to school…and I’d be going to a different school if the buses weren’t here…In the winter it gets really cold [on the bus], because sometimes the windows won’t close all the way, so there are always little cracks in the windows. The driver will turn the heater up, but it won’t work all the way. But I think the education at Red Cloud is way more important than being cold.” -Tad Bowman, sophomore

Given the long distances, tough weather and poor road conditions on the reservation, keeping Red Cloud’s buses in working order is no small feat. And that’s exactly why Linn Cross Dog is one of the most important people on campus. Linn has worked at Red Cloud since he was a student in 1968, and has been in charge of the Red Cloud garage since 1980. Since that time, he has been using every resource in his arsenal to keep Red Cloud’s buses running smoothly—even though many of them are aging rapidly and becoming harder to repair.

“The first year I took over the garage, all our buses passed inspection. The state trooper inspecting buses at that time shook my hand and said, ‘Keep up the good work,’” Linn remembers with a smile.

“But it’s getting tougher and tougher these days—because of the mileages we have on our buses. Most are over 14 years old, and pushing close to 300,000 miles. And the abuse of daily driving, the abuse of the road conditions we drive on, those are showing up now…we desperately need newer and better vehicles.”

Linn is hoping there is room in the budget next year for at least two new buses—and that’s exactly what we're working toward. Until then, he’ll keep working hard in the garage each and every day to ensure that Grace, Tad and their classmates can continue their education at Red Cloud.

Keep us moving!

It’s only because of friends like you that Red Cloud can keep its buses moving—and keep students like Grace and Tad learning and growing in our classrooms.

 

To learn about the many ways you can help these students, visit www.RedCloudSchool.org/buses.

 

 

All Content, ©Red Cloud Indian School, 2014