BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — There is a new kind of mobile classroom cruising through the Martin County School District. It is not your typical yellow school bus. This is the Martin County Early Learning Bus, a mobile preschool that is bringing education to the doorstep of children aged 3-5 years who are not enrolled in Head Start or preschool programs.
Since its January 2024 debut, the bus has become a bright spot in the county.
At a recent school board meeting, Special Education Director Dena James, the woman behind the project, shared an update.
The bus, now a regular fixture in Inez, Warfield, Pigeon Roost and Tomahawk, makes its rounds five days a week, offering an engaging learning space.
“We have a minimum of three kids per stop. Some places we have up to five, sometimes six kids, which is so much better than last year,” James said, excited about the growth.
The bus schedule is tight:
- Mondays, you will find it parked outside the Library/Collier Center in Inez.
- Tuesdays, it rolls into the Dempsey Housing Complex.
- Wednesdays, it is stationed at the Tomahawk Fire Department.
- Thursdays, the Pigeon Roost Community Center hosts the bus.
- Fridays, it circles back to the Library/Collier Center in Inez.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the bus doors open wide, offering everything from story time and music to art and fine/gross motor skill activities, thanks to a newly hired full-time teacher, Kayla Jude. And Jude is not just teaching – she is building a whole community. She launched a Facebook page, “Martin County Early Learning Bus,” where parents can check for scheduling and other updates.
The director credits Jude for an increase in participation.
“Some people are bringing their children to multiple sites throughout the week,” said James. “I mean, she’s just done a fantastic job with it.”
The kids have taken to calling it the “Magic School Bus,” a nickname that seems to be catching on in the community.
“Parents and grandparents are commenting on the Facebook page saying, ‘The kids or the grandkids love the Magic School Bus,’” noted James.
School lunch is one of the standout perks of the Early Learning Bus. Every day, the kids are treated to a meal, courtesy of the school board.
“They were so excited the first day to have a school lunch,” James shared.
Over the summer, the bus underwent major improvements. Local artist Katie O’Connor transformed the ceiling into a dreamy canvas of clouds, adding extra magic to the “Magic School Bus” nickname. She painted the box that holds the generator with kid-friendly designs.
“It’s really bright and cheerful and the kids love it,” said James. “If you see it around, you should stop by and check it out.”
Funded by an ARPA grant through the Office of Special Education and Early Learning, the project of transforming a school bus into a mobile preschool classroom was a district-wide collaboration. The maintenance department came up with the idea for how to convert it, and students from Martin County Area Technology Center rolled up their sleeves to get it done.
ATC students ripped out the seats, installed a generator and convertor, and added camper-style air conditioning and heating. They also added lighting, flooring and shelving, turning the bus into a fully functional classroom.
In a nod to sustainability, the generator is powered by a lithium-ion battery instead of the usual fuel-guzzling generator. It runs quieter, too.
The bus itself is hard to miss. The exterior is emblazoned with “Martin County Cardinals” decked out in various occupational uniforms—delivering early education directly to communities, breaking down barriers to access and helping to lay a strong foundation for learning.
James, along with Michelle Harless, the Head Start director during the launch of the project and the current principal at Martin County High School, presented the Early Learning Bus as a model of innovation at a state Special Education and Early Learning conference Sept. 10.