Three Vans for School Transportation…and a Toyota Prius?

“For some years staff and teachers have dreamed of having a sedan for trips that do not require a multi-passenger van. Students being driven to doctors appointments, staff to conferences and meetings, and quick errands to nearby destinations in general. Rich and I have been looking for a Prius with fewer miles so that we could give our 2005 to the school. It has been so faithful and performed so well that we wanted to pass along the savings and convenience of a Prius to Olney staff,” says Mary Sidwell, director of development.

This spring, she and Rich Sidwell ’63, head of school, donated their hybrid vehicle for school use. The Prius joins two six-passenger vans and one nine-passenger van that are used frequently for expeditions, including biology field work, community service, class field trips to nearby cities (recent examples: the Islamic Center in Wheeling, the Cleveland Museum of Art), campus-wide outings to nearby destinations, and the annual college trip for juniors.

“Whenever we select a vehicle for school use, we consider its fuel efficiency, among other factors,” says Rich Sidwell. “One benefit of the Prius is that – at least in my experience – it typically gets an average of 45-52 miles per gallon. Making wise use of resources is a guiding principle in all the decisions we make at Olney,” he says.

• ‹ previous
• 85 of 124
• next ›