Choice Bus comes to Whitfield County

WHITFIELD COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — One group travels the country encouraging students to make good choices. They use a school bus to get their point across.

Students at Westside Middle School boarded the bus. But this one was different, it’s The Choice Bus.

“I was scared at first because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Robin Gilbert, a student.

Once they were on they learned about staying in school and making good choices.

“It teaches you not to hang around with the wrong people. Don’t make the wrong choices and do right. Stay on track and keep your head up,” Gilbert said.

“We talk to students from all around the country about a couple of things and that is about the power of education and making good choices and as presenters we get to share the importance of both of those with them,” said Mike Miller, a presenter with The Choice Bus.

But that’s not all, they got to see the back of the bus, which was made to look like a jail cell. Miller says one reason this is successful is it’s interactive, and the fact it’s a school bus makes it familiar.

“So immediately they walk in and they are like this is something I can relate to and so that allows us to put them in an environment that they are comfortable with, but then it also allows us to tell them that the rear half is the jail cell and that is the half you don’t want to end up in and if you take your education seriously and if you make good choices, you can prevent that,” Miller said.

Students say they learned a lot.

“It is horrible to think that people live like that. I couldn’t do it. That is why I am going to stay out of trouble,” Gilbert said.