Local school adds field trip bus

Sonrise board members (l-r) Laurie Francis, Carla Schneider and Terry Denzer accept the keys to a new bus from Scott Klussman of the Juan Young Trust.

A grant from the Juan Young Trust has provided a new 14-passenger bus for Sonrise Christian School in Sisters.

The bus allows students from the private school to travel together on field trips.

The school conducts field trips fairly regularly for both elementary school students and middle school students.

"Within a week (of receiving the bus) we were able to take it on a field trip to Newport," said middle school teacher Randy Muir.

According to Muir, his middle schoolers took several trips last year, to places ranging from Camp Davidson near Suttle Lake to the Prineville Reservoir and the coast.

Before the bus was obtained, parents and staff drove the students in multiple cars. Not only is that a logistical hassle, it costs more in wear and tear and gas, Muir noted.

But the benefits of traveling together are more than just logistical ease.

"When we travel all together like that, there's a camaraderie and community feeling that wasn't there when we traveled in cars," Muir said.

The Juan Young trust is a charitable organization that specializes in educational grants and scholarships.