COVER PHOTO: Vicki Swainston really enjoys herself being the bus driver for the Hopkins High School equestrian team.

Earlier this month I posted a guest editorial that outlined why so many school bus drivers are leaving or not signing up to do the job.

Meanwhile, Vicki Swainston, fast becoming some kind of institution in the Hopkins School District, is doing just the opposite. She loves carting kids all over the place so much that she bid on and won her own Hopkins School Bus No. 24. She calls it “Wild Child” and uses it as a sort of chauffeur service for the youths in her community.

Swainston so often can be found at away Viking sporting events when other drivers are reluctant or not interested in making such long treks with a bunch of rowdy teen-agers.

Her unusual service began last year after she learned that some high school students would have great difficulty in finding transportation to the prom.

One boy’s parent said, “See, Vicki has her very own actual school bus that she’s dubbed ‘wild child.’ She’s available for your own personal party needs, by the way. But Vicki is also one of our fearless (church) youth group leaders. And, as I mentioned, she’s our favorite bus driver… There are few who relate to the kids as well as she does. She is joy. She is fun. She’s the kids’ biggest fan.”

So what the kids got for a trip to the prom was a school bus painted black instead of a limo.

Swainston, a Hopkins “lifer,” who has been driving school bus for a long time, said, “I recall prom and the temptation of peer pressure as well to be a part of something you really didn’t want to be a part of, then regrets. This was something I had heard kids discussing, especially considering with our Youth Group kids…

“Not only could I remove any doubts for parents but also the kids, I would be there for them at any point. I’ve always got your backs! The laughter, the music, great time and the wonderful memories that were made of 2023 are priceless! Not only for me but parents too.”

Swainston and her family, including sisters Jill and Amy and her mother, Mary, were local farmers for many years and at one time were proprietors of a hardware store in the village. Lee, the family patriarch, is deceased.

Former members of the United Church of Wayland, they now are regulars at Hopkins Community Church.