Oaks students transform bus for county

    Marble - Andrew Graves only went to school 20 days last year. This year, he was motivated to only miss two days so far.
    The difference is he is now going to The Oaks Academy, where he has a project that helps take away some school pressures.
    “It helped keep me cool in the head,” he said. “It gave me something to look forward to at school.”
    He and his classmates in John Worden’s science classes have been spending the year transforming Peachtree Elementary School’s former Bus 101 into something students across the county can use.
    Superintendent Jeana Conley and Julie Higdon, director of K-8 curriculum and federal programs, had an idea to turn a bus into a rolling classroom after reading about a similar bus created by teachers in Chattanooga, Tenn. The idea was to strengthen parent engagement and outreach in the communities by providing the mobile space.
    “The bus will serve as a platform to share community resources with families, host parent/teacher conferences and bring learning experiences to families throughout the district.,” Higdon said.
    The district couldn’t have chosen a better teacher to lead the project – Worden, who has been rebuilding classic cars since he was 12 years old, publishes Eastern Hod Rodder magazine. Higdon said involving Oaks students would expose them to “a plethora of applicable vocations.”
    Cherokee County Schools receives a grant for the sole purpose of parent engagement. The U.S. Department of Education approved using the funds on the bus.
    Worden was given a $5,000 budget and a 25-year-old bus taken out of commission because of its age. He had the idea to give the bus a third purpose as a concession stand for outdoor events.
    The first thing his classes did in September was gut and clean the bus. Then, they brainstormed how to lay out the bus, and how to make sure nothing moves out of place when the bus is on the road.
    They’ve already transformed the front end of the bus and given it two tables with facing bus seats for seating. The back of bus is resembling a conference space, with two chairs and couch salvaged from local schools. The back wall is painted with chalkboard paint. The center windows were replaced with double facing exit windows, that will act as serving windows for the concession stand.
    They still have a lot of work to do – they need to install solar panels, LED lighting, and paint the outside of the bus. They also need to finish the back conference area of the bus, and create the workstation in the center, that can be used for the concession aspect.
    So far, they’ve only spent $300 on the project, thanks to salvaging materials and getting a flooring donation from Really Cheap Floors of Murphy. Worden hopes the bus will be complete by summer break.
    Worden said his students must finish their classwork before they can work on the bus. If some students are ready to work on the bus while others still have classwork to complete, students take advantage of the spaces on the bus to complete their classwork.
    As his students rebuild the inside of the bus, Worden said they are learning while applying problem-solving skills, physical science methods and math.
    “Education is everywhere,” he said.
    “It is our hope students spark an interest due to the self-confidence acquired through participating in this project that will propel them to a future vocation,” Higdon added “The learning process itself has already proven to be well worth the investment in our students and community.”
    Students like Graves are even learning to like school.
    “I was kinda surprised because I’ve never done anything like this,” he said. “It was an interesting change of pace.”

Dinner raises
funds for Scouts
    Murphy – Anyone who wishes to support children in one of the six Boy Scouts of America units in Cherokee County still has time to reserve a seat at this year’s Friends of Scouting dinner set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Hackney Warehouse.
    The dinner will honor County Commissioner Gary “Hippie” Westmoreland, while raising money for the Daniel Boone Council’s annual Friends of Scouting campaign.
    Councilwoman Barbara Hughes is helping organize the dinner locally. Her church, Murphy First United Methodist, is the charter organization for Cub Scouts Pack 400, Scouts BSA Troop 400 and Scouts BSA Troop 4400.
    Hughes said she knows firsthand how important the programs are to everyone though her involvement in the church. “We see and hear all the time all the worthwhile things kids are learning, and what they are doing in the community,” she added.
    The Friends of Scouting campaign is one of the council’s largest revenue sources. It helps fund scholarships for camp, assists with uniform purchases, sponsors leader training and provides for unit services.
    This year, the council used funds from Friends of Scouting to help local families offset the increase in national membership fees, said James Hylemon, the Nantahala district administrator. He added that funds raised at the dinner will be used to assist Scouting programs in Cherokee County.
    The Boy Scouts of America serves boys and girls in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts), Venturing and Exploring programs. Hylemon said there are more than 100 children in Scouting programs in Cherokee County.
    Anyone who would like to reserve a seat may call Hughes at 837-6821.
    Samantha Sinclair is the Scouting Around columnist for the Cherokee Scout. You can reach her by phone, 837-5122, Ext. 24; or email, scoutingaround@cherokeescout.com.