The Choice Bus (John Gaddy/WCIV)
The Choice Bus (John Gaddy/WCIV)
The Choice Bus (John Gaddy/WCIV)CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) – Students in Charleston County got a firsthand look at the importance of finishing their education Thursday afternoon.
The Choice Bus visited seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders at St. Johns High School, Haut Gap Advanced Studies Magnet and Baptist Hill Middle High School.
The bus is sponsored by State Farm and the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation and is a mix between a classroom and a jail cell.
On the classroom side, the students watched a video and heard startling statistics about the consequences of dropping out of school.
For example, on average, people with diplomas make $1 million more over their lifetime than dropouts.
The jail side of the bus is a demonstration modeled after a real prison cell, equipped with metal bars and bunk beds, giving students a glimpse into the life they're likely to lead if they drop out of school.
"That's a concrete, real stark example of what can happen if they do not finish," said Haut Gap Principal Andrea Gadsden. "They made a ‘woah' sound, and that was a great eye-opener for them."
The Choice Bus is the nation's first mobile experience dedicated to reducing the dropout rate.
