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The Transportation System of Savard Consolidated School In the year 1922, the Savard Consolidated School was opened to take care of the education of the many pupils who were up to that time attending small'oneâ€" roomed schools in the townships of Savard. Robillard and part of Truax. On this side of the lake Grades [-8 public and 9-]0 Continuation were taught. The new transportation system came into being. Tenders for the transportation ofthe students were called l‘0r# l. This was to be a yearly contract. 2. Vehicles were to be hauled by horses. 3. Wagons were to be used in summers. 4i Sleighs were to be used in Winter. _ In the beginning. the school board supplied the spring wagons and sleighs for this purpose. In the 1930‘s this was improved upon by the pur- Chase of rubber tired wagons. Some of the essential requirements were 1. A good team of horses. 2. Suitable and adequate harness. 3. A conscientious. kind. driver} Some rules had to be adhered to by the Students a) If a child lived on a side road. he was required to walk ’4 ol‘u mile. to meet the bus on the main road. b) The time to meet the bus was established by mu: tua] agreement. The buses were built of wood and were equipped with blankets and charcoal burning foobwarmers. Ad- ditional blankets were supplied by families. Later the warmers were replaced by small wood burning heat- ETS. A blanket and foot warmer were shared by a num- ber of pupils. Methods of draping the blankets over the warmers to conserve and concentrate the heat. were often employed by the more ingenious pupils. In those days. discipline was not a problem on the school buses because the driver could invite a trouble- maker to disembark and walk behind the bus for a reâ€" quired distance. This treatment always proved efl'ecâ€" tive on a cold. blustery night. This may sound like harsh treatment but there are still some well respected community-spirited citizens living in this communitv today. who often reminisce about the miles they rah behind the bus for committing some misdemeanor. During the winter months when the roads became blocked with snow the buses were rerouted over bush trails and over farms. These roads were rolled and iced in swampy places where there was danger of them breaking through. ln the mid 40‘s as the roads improved and a system of snow ploughing in winter was begun. the con- version to motor buses was made. ‘This old system of horse-drawn buses. with their primitive blankets. foot warmers and air tight heaters seems to be a thing olthe past, however one wonders why in our modern system of large motorized buses. increased educational opportunities. etc.. are so many 20 young children required to leave home eaTllt‘l m the morning than they did in those earlier yeah» This is the history of the transportation xi ~tcm or Savard Consolidated School. the first school 0| in mm in Northern Ontario. Many changes have been made, as of .w the school is operating as a Public School under yum. diction of Temiskaming Board of Educaiit one more township. Sharpe. has been included in I urea. Although this may appear to be a very t. “- hp ginning. there are many teachers, politician tirscs‘ and business men who must recall with HOSlii a. the fact, that they received their elementary (“ Julio“ drawn to Savard School in one of these at torse- drawn school buses. TWEEDSMUIR HISTORY PROJE( Savard Women’s Institute As a result ofa tape coming loose on Volu l at the Tweedsmuir History book, a much admi ‘ pic- ture of the horse drawn school bus could be r “Eli. and taken to a photo studio. This was reproduced and copies sold to ll: .xlcd individuals. Because of the original order ol the price was cut from $2.00 to $1.15. To date. ‘ ldlt been sold. The original picture was put back It Vul- ume l. and the tapes repaired. Needless to say thal price it was not a money making scheme but a rite to the community. Savard W.[. have put their Tweedsmuir tort book to practical use. and also hope this pubt 'L’lil- lions will pay oil. The students of Charlton haul viewed the books with keen interest. and hopel‘i the missing farm histories will be forthcoming. in the Savard Consolidated School.