OCR Text |
Show ID VBmal Express Wednesday, August 30, 1995 ScDdooD tiirairosipoirttattiioDH is goiDDg tilhie dostaoDce ffoir comnnnrDiuiDiiDf cDniDcdireirQ 1 X by Vickl Feldt Staff Writer There arc several changes in the school bus routes this year, and Floyd Collctt, transportation supervisor, super-visor, was the man to head the scheduling projects. "We do remarkably re-markably well for all of the traffic," says CollclL "Particularly in the heavy morning traffic." The route changes have suddenly divided the Basin in half. "We have younger kids on 11 buses instead of three or four buses coming into the school parking lot," says ColletL The number of changes in the school bus scheduling was implemented imple-mented to ensure there would be no overloads on the buses. Darline Ufford, driver trainer and student safety director, explains, "We try to adjust the number num-ber of kids ideally to the average height Tnd weight of their age groups." Crades K-4 have their own transportation routes. Grades seven through 12 have ridden together in the past, and now the fifth graders have been added to these routes. This works out to four kids per seat in K-4, having a maximum of 84 elementary students per bus. . Three students per seat for grades 5 through 7, and two students per seat for grades 8 and higher. With the introduction of fifth graders to Jic secondary buses, the average Tiaximum capacity is approximately 70 students. "Buses can not go directly to the school building after picking up youngsters at their designated pick-lp pick-lp points. They have a route to pick lp 70-some kids," says Ufford. 'The duration of the routes have not ncreased due to the changes." ome of the children have a longer ide than last year, but most of them lave neighborhood friends or make lew friends on the bus so time for hem passes quickly and they no onger voice a complaint to the Irivers. On the first two days of school, tincipals Lyle Southam of the lorth kindergarten, and Leonard lullivan of the south kindergarten, jeeted each student individually as hey got off of the bus. At the end of tiese first days, the teachers and Three residents awarded learning scholarships Workers Compensation Fund of Utah recently awarded three of 46 Legacy of Learning scholarships to Vernal residents. Legacy of Learning, now in its sixth year, awards scholarships to children and spouses of workers insured in-sured by Workers Compensation Fund who lost their lives in compensable com-pensable industrial accidents. Vernal recipients include Patricia Hayes, and her children Michael and Stacey Stewart. Hayes is working on her doctorate in education and math at Utah State University. She would like to teach math at USU's Uintah Basin Center. Currently enrolled at USU, Michael plans to obtain a degree in radiology. Stacey is pursuing a bachelor's degree in business administration ad-ministration with a minor in accounting ac-counting from USU. "It is the hope and dream of every scholarship recipient to develop their talents and skills and be gainfully gain-fully employed" said Ed Mayne, president of the Utah AFL-CIO and Legacy of Learning chairman. "This program helps deserving people peo-ple realize that dream.". Mayne, who originally conceived the concept and has seen lives changed because of the program's influence, claims, "This program not only displays the willingness of the Workers Compensation Fund to be a good community partner, it's truly an opportunity for people who might not otherwise be able to pursue pur-sue an education and make something some-thing of themselves." Each scholarship consists of the staff helped each child back on the proper bus. This extra care with first time students resulted in some of the buses arriving late at their drop off points, and now the students and drivers are coordinating a tight schedule that appears to be working out for everyone. The school bus transportation department de-partment also teaches safety classes on a regular basis. Kindergarten through fourth grades are taught how to go through an evacuation drill in the spring and fall. These grades will also have a bus safety training class during the year. District maintenance crews, principals, prin-cipals, teachers and staff have done everything possible to make sure loading zones are safe and making sure the students get on their designated desig-nated bus. Drivers have really gone the distance to make sure the children chil-dren arrive safely at school and at home. "They haven't just let a kid out anywhere when the kid realizes he or she is on the wrong bus. The drivers have taken personal responsibility respon-sibility to see that the child is delivered deliv-ered at their home," says ColletL "Safety of the child is our number one concern." One area where parents could assist as-sist in child safety and bus transportation trans-portation time management, is to honor signs posted at the schools. The number of buses in any school parking lot is greater this year and a private automobile in a bus loading zone creates a dangerous situation for the children, not to mention the driver of the car. The transportation safety board have given considerable consider-able study to school bus loading zones and these areas, along with parent loading zones have been clearly marked and signs are posted at the schools. Summer driving habits are still a problem around the city, as the school buses run their routes. One lady bumped into the back of an empty bus at the turn-off of Davis and Highway 40. Ufford, who also drives a bus, states "Just Monday, there were three cars in separate areas ar-eas of town that ran my red flashing lights on the school bus as I was unloading un-loading children at the bus stops." The current school system is a real change for our community. The bus scheduling is becoming fine tuned. payment of tuition and fees of up to $1,500 at a college or university, including in-cluding vocational colleges. This year's 46 scholarship recipients is an increase of 14 over last year and 35 over the program's first year in 1990. "Each year the selection committee commit-tee has recommended scholarships to help even more qualified applicants appli-cants achieve their goals," said Jed Pitcher, chairman of the Fund's Board of Directors. "The growth of the program is gratifying because Legacy of Learning gives the company com-pany the opportunity to positively affect recipients' lives. We are committed com-mitted to our community, state and the people we serve." Recipients were selected by a panel pan-el of three: Mayne, Cecelia Foxley, commissioner of the Utah System of Higher Education, and Dennis Lloyd, Fund general counsel. Scholarships were awarded based on grade point average, standard and scores, general character, community com-munity involvement and economic need. "While nothing can compensate for the loss of a loved one in an industrial in-dustrial accident, we at the Fund believe be-lieve this program can take a tragic situation and provide motivation and reward to deserving individuals," individu-als," explained Lane A. Summerhays, the Fund's chief executive exec-utive officer. The Workers Compensation Fund of Utah is a nonprofit corporation that provides workers' compensation compensa-tion insurance. It is the largest such carrier in Utah, insuring approximately approxi-mately 27,000 Utah employers and their employees. "We all need to accept responsibility responsibili-ty for a lifetime commitment to raising rais-ing children in our community," "The drivers have taken personal responsibility to see that each child is delivered to their home." "Safety of the children chil-dren is our number one concern." says Ufford. "We all have to work as a team." Another area of child safety concern con-cern is allowing children to hang around at the bus stop areas longer than the requested five minutes before be-fore the bus arrives. A child unattended unat-tended for twenty minutes at a bus stop is not considered safe when they are having to contend with Uintah County Sheriff's Department School Safety Tips ill If 4 CHILDREN 1 . Don't talk to strangers. 2. Walk on the sidewalks whenever you can. 3. Look both ways before crossing the street. 4. Walk your bicycle when crossing streets. 5. Obey crossing guards. 6. When on buses, remain seated. 7. Obey bus rules. 8. When getting off buses, make sure the drivers of vehicles see you before stepping out into the street, ADULTS 1 . Drive defensively. 2. Obey school zone speed limits. 3. When approaching a bus from either direction be awareit may stop at any time. 4. Remember pedestrians have the right of way. 5. if crossing guards are not present, assist your child with crossing the street Teach your children safety practices going to and from school Remind children to travel In groups if possible to increase their safety. 6. Remember children learn to be safeadults should already know. Women's conference to feature Perry family by Kathleen Irving Staff Writer Renowned Utah composer Janice Kapp Perry and her husband, Douglas Colton Perry, will be the featured speakers and performers at the Regional Women's Conference Saturday, Sept. 9. The conference, which is sponsored by the LDS Church, begins at 9 a.m. in the Vernal Middle School auditorium. The Perrys reside in Provo where Janice has spent the past 17 years composing music and lyrics. In that time she has produced 30 albums , and songbooks of inspirational music. mu-sic. She and husband, Douglas, a descendant of early Ashley Valley residents, will present the first part of the conference using both song and the spoken word. Janice has written an original song to highlight the theme of the conference, "Love Makes a Difference." During the second half of the three-hour conference, a one-woman one-woman musical entitled "Polly" will be performed by Johanne Frechette Perry, daughter-in-law of Janice and Douglas, and wife of the Buses cannot allow for personal deep to unload students. heavy morning traffic. As the bus schedules are ironed out, the expected expect-ed time of arrival will vary one to three minutes. Also, to ensure children's safety, this Wednesday, the state highway patrol will conduct safety inspections. inspec-tions. A team of inspectors will go through the buses and check the mechanical me-chanical safety and soundness of each bus to make sure they are in top condition. This check-up by the highway patrol is done twice a year. play's writercomposer Steven Kapp Perry. "Polly" is based on the life of Polly Matilda Merrill Colton (1816-1891), (1816-1891), Steven Perry's great-great-great-grandmother. It traces her life from her teenage years in Shelby, Mich., through her marriage, conversion con-version to the LDS Church and experiences ex-periences in Nauvoo, 111., to the trek to Utah and -finally to Ashley Valley. Deseret News reviewer Karen Boren called Johanne's performance perfor-mance "exquisite," her acting "so animated you really believe she is talking with her mother or dancing with Philander Colton" who later became her husband. The musical has been performed to standing-room-only audiences in Wasatch Front communities. This will be its first performance in the valley Polly and Philander Colton called home. The women's conference and performance per-formance are offered free of charge to all Vernal-area women, ages 18 and up, regardless of religious affiliation. J,-. . a ocyv vehicles in loading zones. At Davis ,1 AJL Children wait along street in the r I ,,, (I in '.1 J f " Students get on and off buses in the street. "Flashing signal ligiuc on school buses need to be honored by motorists," says Darline Ufford. jit Janice Kapp Perry and her husband, Douglas Colton Perry will be featured speakers at Women's Conference Saturday, Sept, Sk ,0 .A I I , 1 F Elementary, buses stack in several mornings to ride a bus to school. 1 1 |