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Students from Peters Township, other high schools paint buses for demolition derby

By Tessa Iglesias Staff Writer Newsroom@observer-Reporter.Com 3 min read
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Peters Township High School senior Caroline Langley, left, uses her artistic talent to paint Yoda on the hood of a school bus with the assistance of senior Amanda Smith.

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Band students from area school districts descended on the Washington County Fairgrounds Wednesday to paint old school buses destined for the school bus demolition derby at the fair. Students from each school painted a bus in a variety of colors before painting each other.

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Bethlehem-Center students Hannah Foutz, left, Penny Lee ands Paige Spencer, right, painted more than old school buses.

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Charleroi High School student Casey Diess, covered in paint, uses a roller to add more to his shoes.

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Bethlehem-Center sophomore Tori Gilpin stencils a bus after a fellow student hand-painted her shorts.

The Washington County Fairgrounds will be covered in “Star Wars”-themed school bus scraps Aug. 17, thanks to the annual School Bus Demolition Derby.

To prepare for the derby, students from 13 high schools met at the fairgrounds last week to paint buses, motivated by some friendly competition.

Marching bands from 13 Washington County schools, including Peters Township, meet up each year to paint and prepare for the derby.

Each school had only one hour to paint an entire bus in the previously determined theme, chosen by Avella High School, last year’s winner.

“These kids will have more paint on them than they will the school buses. They’re totally covered,” Wayne Hunnell, secretary of the Washington County Fair Board, said during the Aug. 10 proceedings. “They have the most fun, I think, this night.”

In addition to bragging rights and the opportunity to choose next year’s theme, winners of the painting portion of the competition will receive a $100 prize for their school. Winners of the demolition derby will receive a $500 prize.

The buses for the derby are either donated by school districts or churches, or are purchased by Hunnell at 422 Auto and Bus Auction in Slippery Rock. Drivers are drawn out of a hat by each school, with the winners picking first.

This year, the Avella students successfully defended their title. Their bus was painted black with lighter paint splattered over it to represent space, and a montage of characters, including Yoda and R2-D2, were featured on the busses side.

The kids mostly have free rein over their designs, but they do have to follow a few regulations. The paint has to be water-based, and each school is limited in the amount of gallons its students are allowed to bring. There are deductions for any school that paints inside the bus to avoid endangering the driver, and each school is required to feature its name on the side of the bus.

Tracy Morgan, mother of Danielle Morgan, a seventh-grader in Bethlehem-Center School District, said she likes the derby because her daughter is “getting to have some fun, because band camp is a lot of work and she’s very stressed out.” This is Danielle’s first year in the marching band, as Beth-Center allows seventh-graders to join.

At the derby, each of the chosen drivers will navigate his or her bus in a specially made arena at the fairgrounds. Band members of each school will be able to watch and cheer on their drivers as they try to get their buses out in one piece and earn the school they are representing the $500 prize.

“I love seeing the students’ ideas really come to life on the bus,” said Lorne Hyskell, Peters Township marching band director. “I’m kind of taking a step back and letting the students get their ideas out and just run with it, and be as creative as they can be.”

Hyskell said the painting also is a great team-building activity for the students, as they have to work together to complete their buses in time.

The school bus demolition derby will take place at 8 tonight at the Washington County Fairgrounds Grandstand.

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