CORSICA, Pa. (EYT) – Clarion-Limestone students who live in Corsica will have a more comfortable wait for the school bus in the morning thanks to the efforts of a small, but determined group of people.
On Wednesday morning, a bus shelter built by two C-L students, Jake Warhead and Brylea Theiss, was placed on property located along Route 322 owned by the Corsica Volunteer Fire Department.
“I think it’s great,” Bob Sawyer said. “The kids did a great job with it, and now the kids waiting for the bus can be out of the wind and rain.”
Sawyer is part of the team that made the project happen.
It all started when bus driver Jody Shaffer thought the stop at the fire department could use a new shanty to shelter the kids from poor weather.
Shaffer spoke with C-L’s Transportation Director School Christine Wolfe who brought the idea to Superintendent Amt Glasl.
“When Chris spoke with me, I thought ‘Wow, couldn’t our C-L kids from the Career Tech Center build one?’” Glasl said.
Glasl then talked to Kirk Atwood, the principal at the Career Center, and Bob Sawyer, a local businessman. Sawyer is on the C-L Scholastic Foundation Board and owns Sawyer Nursery and Landscaping.
“Bob did all the legwork on finding the money to get the materials we needed to build the shelter,” Career Center Construction Technology teacher Dan Emings said.
Sawyer explained that when he was growing up in Corsica, there was a bus shelter where the new one now sits.
“It got old and fell apart, then there was a very small one there for a little while, but it’s good to see a new one that’s big enough for the kids to get into,” Sawyer said.
(Pictured above: Christine Wolfe, C-L Transportation Director; Bob Sawyer; Amy Glasl, C-L Superintendent; and Clarion County Career Center Construction Technology teacher Dan Emings.)
Sawyer contacted Clarion-Limestone graduate Joe Stahlman, who owns Clarion Builders Supply, and he agreed to donate all the materials to build the shelter.
“It came to $602.00, and Joe didn’t even want a receipt for his taxes, but we’re still writing him a receipt,” Sawyer said with a grin.
Emings then enlisted two C-L students, Wareham and Theiss, who study construction and work on projects at the Career Center for 2 1/2 hours a day.
“We didn’t use any plans,” Wareham said. “We had a basic idea of what it should be, and we did a few drawings before we got to work.”
Wareham said the job took about three weeks to build the shelter. And that’s not the only thing they worked on, there are other ongoing projects, including a modular home, that required their attention.
Theiss was home sick Wednesday, but Wareham explained the value of the project.
“It was a fun project for us,” Wareham said. “I’ve worked in construction, and I wanted to go to the career center, so I could learn more to be able to do factory work. It will help me get a good start.”
Emings, who has been teaching at the Career Center for three years, said it was a good project for the students and one they can for other bus stops in the area.
He loaded the shelter onto Sawyer’s truck trailer and took it to the bus stop.
“This was a great project for the kids and they learned what teamwork can accomplish,” Emings said.
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