Local school bus driver controls chaos with books

SAMOSET — The scene was chaotic inside yellow school bus No. 546 carrying elementary school children.

There was horseplay.

There were fist fights.

And it was really noisy.

Rosemary “Kookyi” Peterson, 63, had been driving the bus to Samoset Elementary for years and the disorder had her at her wit’s end.

Then three months ago she had a revelation.

As she lay in bed one night praying for wisdom on how to control her disorderly riders, she recalled a teacher telling her that many children struggle with reading, with half of them enrolled in after-school tutoring.

She decided she’d start a bus book club and reward children for reading with tempting prizes like skating rink tickets, jewelry and snacks.

“It was like the Lord was leading my spirit into it,” Peterson said with a contagious smile.

The next morning, her 30 riders boarded the bus and she approached them with her idea. Students who participate in the club and turn in a book report every three weeks get a prize. Whoever reads the most books contends for special first- and second-place prizes.

So began Ms. Kookyi’s Book Club.

Bus No. 546 now is on the track to greatness, said Scott Boyes, principal of the school on 33rd Avenue East in Bradenton.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “She’s got these kids reading and behaving. The bus has improved immensely.”

Students know if they disobey bus rules, they are reported to Boyes.

A first-time referral requires an apology to Peterson. A second offense nets a one-day suspension.

“It was a tough bus,” Boyes said, recalling the days before Peterson started the club. “We used to have a few frequent flyer referrals, but not anymore. Not one.”

Each morning it’s the same routine: She greets students as they board at three stops: Manatee Pond, Kingston Estates and the corner of 26th Avenue East and 19th Street East.

They take their seats and pull out a book they’ve taken from their classrooms or the school library.

“What are we supposed to do?” Peterson asks.

“Read,” they shout in unison, then buckle in for the ride.

As she shuts the bus door and pulls away, the children bury their heads in their respective books.

As students read Thursday, the only sound that echoed through the bus cabin was an occasional cough or whisper as a child read out loud.

Directly behind Peterson, 7-year-old Stanley Simeon sat reading “Valentine’s Day from the Black Lagoon.” Stanley was once in a bus fight, or “skirmish” as Peterson calls it. But since the club started, he has been a role model. The second-grader said he didn’t like reading until he started participating in the book club.

“It helps bring my grades up, too,” Stanley said.

When Peterson pulled into the bus loop at Samoset Elementary, the students who didn’t complete a book report left.

“We’re gonna do better next time,” she told the six students as they got off.

The rest of the riders received an envelope with a bookmark, pencil and a Subway restaurant certificate.

Gisselle Reyes, 9, won first place in the girls category. Her prize for reading 18 books in three weeks: a pink watch. Her bus mates clapped as Boyes handed her the fashion accessory.

Ted Robinson, 9, grabbed first place in the boys division. He read 13 books in three weeks, netting skating rink tickets and $5.

When she started the club, Peterson dipped into her own pocket to purchase prizes. But when teachers at the school, including Kelly Petrosino, found out about the program, they pitched in. Then fellow drivers started hitting her up for ideas on how to keep their rowdy buses in order.

Driver Andreana Barley now hosts a “Smiley Nick Awards” on her bus to reward good behavior.

“She has made coupons on the computer redeemable for a cookie, chips or maybe a drink at school that she purchases at a discounted rate,” said Terri Dingler, an area coordinator for the district’s transportation department.

Boyes hopes their efforts are contagious.

“We’d like to make it streamline,” he said. “I’m ready to sit down with anybody and offer support.”

Peterson has faith her idea can work with even more drivers.

“There’s only one queen bee on this bus now,” she said. “No more princesses or princes.”