Students in the Midwest and Southeast are getting a firsthand look at the vital role education plays in their lives and how their actions, particularly in high school, can significantly impact the rest of their lives through a specially designed school bus dubbed “The Choice Bus.”



The Choice Bus contains a jail cell (pictured above) connected to an interactive learning environment. The bus makes stops at schools and other agencies and students have an opportunity to tour the inside of the vehicle, which was created by The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to reducing the national dropout rate.

The purpose of The Choice Bus, according to the foundation’s Website, is to extend the learning experience gained from the foundation’s InsideOut documentary outside the classroom to help keep students on the road to a good education.

(In InsideOut, prison inmates relay true stories about the devastating and lasting effects of dropping out of school.)


The Choice Bus made a stop at several Escambia County Public Schools sites in Brewton, Ala., in January.

When the bus makes stops, officials from The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation also speak to students about the importance of staying in school. The Brewton Standard reports that the bus visited sites at Escambia County Public Schools in Brewton, Ala., last month. 

Lynn Smelley, program manager for The Choice Bus, told the newspaper that it is never too late to present the message to students.

“We have made these presentations as close as two weeks before graduation at some schools,” Smelley said. “We have seen people dropping out of school at that point. We don’t want these students to just blow this off. We want to make an impact on their decision to stay in school.”

For more information about The Choice Bus or The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, visit www.mattiecstewart.org.

Until next time,

Kelly Roher
Senior Editor