Two teachers from Eliza Van Bibber school are showing remarkable commitment to their school community by stepping up to fill a critical gap, bringing reliable bus services back to the remote Yukon community.
Pelly Crossing, three hours north of Whitehorse and home to about 320 residents, has faced challenges recruiting and retaining a permanent school bus driver for several years, leaving students without consistent transportation.
This new arrangement is the result of a friendship between a teacher in the community: Yvonne Curic, and Kim Solonick, a dispatcher with Standard Bus Contracting in Whitehorse.
Yvonne and Kim have been friends for years. In addition to her work at Standard, Kim is also an Airbnb host in Whitehorse. Yvonne, a frequent guest, stays with Kim when she visits friends in the city.
Kim had been searching tirelessly for solutions to the vacant driver position and turned to her friend Yvonne with an unexpected proposal: “Would you consider driving a school bus for us?”
Teacher and Standard Bus school driver Yvonne Curic
Yvonne, familiar with the struggles caused by the lack of transportation, immediately saw the potential impact on her students’ education and well-being. “Students would miss out on field trips,” Yvonne says. “Some students would have no way of getting to school. This also affects [overall] attendance.”
“There weren’t any other applicants, and I didn’t want my students to miss out on another year of no rides to school and no trips so I told Kim I would do it.”
As Yvonne completed her training, she convinced fellow teacher David Gillis to apply as well. Together, they successfully completed training, obtained licenses, and began driving. Yvonne is the school’s permanent driver while David acts as the spare. “It always feels great to help out. I only had my student’s interests in mind when I made the decision,” says Yvonne.
Having teachers take on the role of school bus drivers has significantly impacted Eliza Van Bibber School, according to Vice-Principal Mary Shkimba. She explains, “Having a bus is linked to land-based and experiential learning opportunities and beloved school trips.” Mary also notes how the bus service has boosted student morale. “The community is very grateful to have the bus back in the community, and I applaud the initiative of our two teachers who obtained their special licenses to aid the school community and the students.”
Overall, Yvonne is happy with her decision to drive for Standard Bus and support her students. “I think it’s a great idea to have teachers with their Class 2 and Class 4 in rural communities to help with driving the kids around. I would encourage teachers across the territory to look into doing the same for their communities.”
Yvonne with teacher and Standard Bus school bus driver David Gillis.
The success of this partnership between Eliza Van Bibber School and Standard Bus demonstrates the community’s ability to rise to challenges collaboratively, prioritizing learners’ needs at the center of their decisions.
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