"The Adventures of Mr. Russ and Mrs. Yvonne" by Marisa Corbett and Finna Halsey

  Every morning, Russ Wood, a former bus driver of 20 years, makes the 1-mile trek from the fairgrounds to Jackson Elementary School, with kids in tow. His wife Yvonne makes a similar trek following a different route. Whether it's rain or shine, you will always find this couple and their train of elementary schoolers walking to school in the morning from September to June. On our early morning drives to SPARK, we see the kids tagging along behind Russ and Yvonne on their way to start their day. This is no easy feat for the couple because it means a 6 AM start to their day and a brisk walk in sub-zero temperatures. However, any doubts they have disappear as soon as they see the kids. As the kids call them, Mr. Russ and Ms. Yvonne end up walking around five miles a day between each of their two trips. This makes the 9th year they have led the Walking School Bus, an initiative put in place due to a Wyoming law that restricted school bus transportation for students within one mile of the school. The Walking School Bus is completely voluntary for the kids. However, most would choose to walk with Mr. Russ and Ms. Yvonne any day. 

One may think that a kindergartner would not be excited about walking to school at 8 in the morning. However, these kids love it. The cold was Russ and Yvonne's biggest concern when they first got asked to do the bus. However, Russ said when talking about the kids, “They don’t care if it's snow. They don't care if it's cold, or if it's rain.” All it takes is the “big five” and the promise that friends and the kids are all in. “They don't get cold, they dress for the cold and they don’t complain. [The kids] don't want to drive, they look forward to walking. We're colder than they are” says Yvonne. If the kids are being driven to school and see the walking school bus, they beg their parents to let them out so they can join their friends for the rest of the way. The kids look forward to their daily walk and love to tell Russ and Yvonne all about the previous day or what they are looking forward to. They will bring home their artwork and show it to Russ and Yvonne before they show it to their parents.

The Walking School Bus is not only a fun way of transportation to school but provides the kids with many benefits. Being able to move their bodies before school gives them a chance to wake up, get their wiggles out, and focus in class. On an actual school bus, students miss many opportunities to interact with each other and the environment around them. The walking school bus provides them with another mentor and supporter in their lives, whom they can trust and talk to. Russ said, “Well you're involved with them, they tell you about their sadness, their happiness, and what they're doing. They share if you let them share.” This sense of connection also helps limit behavioral issues. The respect created through having a conversation and relying on each other allows the kids to recognize all Russ and Yvonne do for them, and why the minimal amount of rules are in place. Compared to normal bus drivers, who sit in the front of the bus with less control over student interaction, Russ and Yvonne notice significantly fewer times when they have to step in and correct the kids' behavior. 

Not only do the kids love it and gain valuable experiences, but Yvonne and Russ couldn’t be happier with their job. They say, “As long as our health and everything allows us to, we will keep doing it for as long as possible.” In turn, daily walking benefits their wellbeing enormously and they couldn’t imagine their lives without it. Previously during the summers, they would wonder what the kids were up to, so when offered the opportunity to walk for summer school by Colby Stevens, Director of Transportation, they were immediately on board. Looking forward to it yearly keeps them busy, and the kids keep them coming back. 

Russ and Yvonne go above and beyond to care for the kids. The whole interview they referred to the kids they walk as “our kids.” I even quoted Yvonne saying “We even tell the parents, these are our kids too.” The habit of them walking every day not only creates a community for the kids, but creates a sense of community for anybody who sees them. Because of what they do, people are getting to know them. They've had people stop them on the streets to thank them or walk with them for a little while. People who have no idea who they are will drive by and wave. While Russ and Yvonne may not be completely aware of the impact they have on so many people, everyone is grateful for what they do. The parents of the kids and even the kids themselves acknowledge the incredible service Russ and Yvonne provide. Teachers, crossing guards and Tracy Poduska, the principal of JES, show their support and appreciation daily. They have received countless shoutouts and awards including Colby Stevens awarding them with a plaque of acknowledgment for the Rotary Club Citizen of the Month. Last year JH News and Guide published a full-length article on the couple. Just recently the mayor, Hailey (Morton) Levinson, reached out for a future recognition opportunity for them. When sharing this with us, Yvonne said, “I thought, the mayor? That's like the president!” Russ and Yvonne are grateful for the support, saying “The whole community is behind us all the way.”

 The reason the Walking School Bus is such a success is due to the constant joy and focus on fun. Every year for Christmas, Russ and Yvonne bring gifts for all of their walkers. The kids have started to count on this and make sure they are always walking as Christmas approaches. Russ shows the motivation for buying the gifts, saying “When they see the gifts their eyes light up.” Russ and Yvonne would do almost anything for these kids, including Russ carrying 5 tiny (but heavy) backpacks at a time. The kids recognize this care and are sure to let Russ and Yvonne know if they are not planning on walking one day. Sometimes kids don’t walk because they have after-school activities. 

On these days Russ races his kids to the Center for the Arts, turning simple transportation into a source of joy. As they walk, the kids keep themselves entertained through games, singing songs, talking between themselves, and stopping to admire nature. According to Russ and Yvonne, they see deer almost every morning on their walks. Yvonne quotes one little girl as whispering “Shhhhhh… look at the deeeeer”, causing the entire group to stop for a while and admire the wildlife, an experience that would have been impossible on a normal school bus. 

The Walking School Bus doesn’t just change the way the kids go to school, it will impact the entirety of their lives. Yvonne says, “I think when they go to college and have their own kids, they're gonna say to their children, you need to walk.” Despite the 4th graders adopting the idea that they are too big and too old for the Walking School Bus, they still find themselves coming back and it will have a lasting impact on them. Whenever Russ and Yvonne run into middle schoolers they used to walk, they share a special moment. Talking about the walking school bus, Yvonne said, “It's just our thing. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's perfect for us.