R-6 transportation staff hosts fall festival

SIKESTON — The first fall festival hosted by Sikeston R-6 Transportation Department staff members was such a success, they are bringing it back again this year with promises to offer even more.

“Last year over 1,300 people came through through our event,” Don Beck, R-6 transportation director, said. “We were surprised of our turnout. We had 863 children, 407 adults, 22 workers and 12 students who provided assistance to us.”

On Saturday, the Sikeston R-6 transportation staff will host the Second Annual Fall Festival from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 212 S. Ingram in Sikeston. There will be games, prizes, candy and more.

“This year, we’re going to be bigger,” Beck said.

Several local emergency management agencies including Flight for Life, Sikeston Department of Public Safety fire department truck, DPS car and equipment will be on display at the event geared to elementary ages. There will be a couple of bounce houses set up, a sound system and photo booths. There will also be eight games and six different candy areas including cotton candy and popcorn mix cups.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Paw Patrol characters and Bowser the Sikeston Bulldog will be on hand to visit with the children. The fishing game Beck built will return this year along with a fishing game.

Beck said he and his crew have also created “Woody’s Roundup” based on the Toy Story characters, and will feature activities where children can toss rubber snakes into a boot, sit atop one of four wooden saw horses complete with a horse head and lassos to spin or pan for gold with Stinky Pete.

“Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,” Beck joked.

What’s even more impressive is the entire event is done completely by donation and costs the district nothing.

“It’s completely volunteer from staff and local businesses who’ve donated some candy and such,” Beck said. “We do it out of the kindness of our hearts because we care about the children. Our drivers and aides really care about the students.”

Beck said when a new school year starts, he tells bus drivers that by the second week of school, they should know every child on their route and be able to call them by name.

“We get to know the students, and, sometimes, you’re the only smiling face they may see,” he said.

The transportation staff tries to increase the number of smiles by offering a safe, fun event for families, he said.

“I want to thank the district and board for supporting us and allowing us to celebrate fall with our community,” Beck said.

The fall festival was created as part of the department’s goal to be more active and present in the community with a committee forming during the 2021-2022 school year.

Beck said the idea for the fall festival came about last year after COVID rules loosened.

“I came aboard as director in April 2020 so just as COVID started, and I wanted our transportation to be part of the school community and thought about hosting a trunk or treat,” he recalled.

In years past, Sikeston High School’s Student Council students had previously organized a trunk-or-treat event but stopped when COVID hit, Beck said, adding after checking with the Student Council and learning they weren’t hosting a trunk-or-treat, he and his staff decided to offer one.

“We decided to pick up the pick up the torch and run with it,” Beck said.

The fall festival is just one of the community events the transportation staff have taken on since forming a committee.

“The committee meets twice a month on their own time, and they come up with activities we do as a group,” Beck said, adding he’s a member of the committee.

For example, last year the transportation staff had a float in the Cotton Carnival Parade, a booth at the homecoming tailgate, space at Light Up Sikeston Christmas display and a float in the Historic Downtown Sikeston’s Christmas Parade of Lights. They will participate in these again.

Beck said fundraising for the transportation department’s “Coats 4 Kids” project will begin the first week of November, and they will sell $10 Papa John’s Pizza punch/reward cards to purchase coats, hats and gloves for Sikeston R-6 children in need. Last year, they donated 53 new coats, hats and gloves to local students and approximately 50 used coats to the Bulldog Pantry. Students in need of coats are determined by school counselors, he said.

In addition to transporting students to and from school on a daily basis, the transportation staff keeps busy with several projects.

For school busy safety week, which was Oct. 17-21, the district held bus evacuation drills and rear-door evacuation drills, Beck said.

Last year the department add the monthly Top Dog award which recognizes the best student rider. This year as a new, team morale booster, they’ve added the monthly employee recognition programs: Big Dog for best drivers and Deputy Dog for bus aides.

The department will also have an employee of the year award named after Robert Reedy who passed away over the summer.

“He was a teacher for 33 years and bus driver for 50 years,” Beck said. “We all loved him and wanted to do something to honor him so we’re also creating a scholarship — the Robert Earl Reedy Jr. Scholarship,” Beck said.

Two scholarships will be awarded to an SHS graduating senior who has at least a B average, two years of some type of musical courses like band, choir and chorus, seeking a degree in education or the music field and planning to attend a four-year university that fall.

“I don’t take credit for this,” Beck said of the transportation’s staff contributions to the district and community. “It’s a great group of people here, and many have taken charge and jumped into help.

Beck said it’s truly a team effort.

He said: “I’m proud to be a member of the team that makes the wheels on the bus go round.”