Pelagic Buses for Scholars

Over a hundred high school students on weekdays make a journey of an hour or so each way to and from the high school back to their island homes by water. We are island people and water is our highway.We live in a Southern Gulf Island area with four outer islands and a larger Lotus island with the high school  serving the entire area. These gulf islands lie, or more properly bask, in what is now called the Salish Sea. Every weekday the pianist and I watch the two large water buses, The Scholar and The Graduate, transporting their precious cargo to and fro, passing our harbour side window leaving for the outer islands at 6:45 am, returning at 8:15 am and transporting the students home later in the afternoon. The commitment of society on these islands to education and scholarship is enormous. The commitment of the youth is exemplified by the sacrifice of time due to the travel required. The winter in northern waters, while largely inshore water. is periodically rough and cold and dark at the times of coming and going! If you are prepared to put that much time and effort into getting an education, it follows that you take yourself seriously. You have the right to be taken seriously by everyone else as well.
    The curious thing about it all  is this trip through the islands is one of the country's, nay, one of the world's major beauty spots, even from time to time in the winter, but the students, so take it for granted, that it's old hat. As they get older and depart the islands they will come to realize I am sure, the incredible nature of their school journeys. In the meantime, as they travel, they have fun, talk a lot, text a lot, do their homework, and never bother much looking out of the window.