Retired Prince Albert school bus finds new life in Mexico

“There were about 10 people who came to our hotel and rode with us to the school to deliver the bus and when we pulled into the compound, there were 15 or so people and the local radio station,” she explained, adding both the state’s and school’s director of education were in attendance.

Conalep Schools are a group of schools that teach vocational skills at the high school level, and La Penita’s has 728 students. They have not had a way for students to get to the school from surrounding communities for eight years other than using (and paying for) public transportation.

A ribbon cutting ceremony helped to mark the transfer. (Facebook/ Jordyne Semenoff)

With respect to the week long trip, Mourot-Semenoff, who is also a teacher at Prince Albert’s Wesmor High School, noted they drove for 12 hours each day and the first border crossing at Montana was incredibly smooth.

“My dad and I have travelled together extensively and we are pretty good at just driving. You drive until you get there,” she said, while laughing.

Upon reaching the Mexican border, Mourot-Semenoff acknowledged it was a bit more nerve wracking. In addition to having the bus inspected, the 10 boxes of humanitarian donations they had brought along had to be unloaded into a pickup truck.

“So we were left standing at the border with all our belongings and they would drive our bus away to the inspection compound,” she said.

Two hours later, Jordynne and her father were back on the road and thanks to Google Maps made it successfully to their hotel.

As it turns out, it was actually Jordynne’s grandmother Lynn who initially reached out to the Prince Albert Rotary Club for help. For over 40 years the retired teacher and social worker had made it her own personal mission to bring toys and humanitarian supplies down to Mexico, but was forced to look at other options when Westjet changed its policies. After joining the Rotary Club in La Penita, she came to learn the need for a bus and so wrote a letter to her local Rotary Club.

Tired but excited. (Facebook/ Jordyne Semenoff)

“Of coure there were some logistical considerations and neither the La Penita club nor our club had, at least in recent years, been involved in this type of donation,” Lisa Bos-Atchison, President of the Prince Albert Rotary Club, replied when asked about the challenges.

Fortunately another local Rotary member did have a family connection to a Rotary Club in Alberta, who had donated several vehicles to Mexico. Other members also made the important calls to SGI and even border services, to ensure the bus had no trouble crossing the two borders.

“Really we worked together as different rotary clubs in order to help make their vision come to light,” Bos-Atchison explained.

And it was the Rotary Club in La Penita who covered the expenses of getting the bus to Mexico.

Ryan Bruce is the manager of transportation services for the Sask Rivers Public School Division and told paNOW the donated bus is from 2006 and has been off the road for about a year-and-a-half.

“It’s had its had its life up here in Canada and we’re happy to help them find a new life for it down in Mexico,” he said.

And now with the acquired knowledge of how to get a school bus from Saskatchewan to Mexico, Mourot-Semenoff confirmed there is more work to be done. In order to meet the demand, three more school buses will be required.

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

Retired Prince Albert school bus finds new life in Mexico

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