Friday afternoon February 16th, 2018 students got ready to go support our boys varsity soccer at their CIF game. As soon as the bus entered the freeway on Donavan the bus started slowing down the bus driver pulled over. Mr. Casillas asked the bus driver what was wrong and why he pulled over. The bus driver’s answer was that the “transmission” was failing and all he had to do was turn it on and off. As we arrived in Bakersfield the bus started to slow down and the bus driver tried to keep the bus at a minimum speed but the bus just wouldn’t go at a higher speed. The bus was not in good condition as we all thought it was. Student Miguel Flores was sitting in the back of the bus when it started smoking. When he started screaming to let the bus driver know the bus was smoking everyone thought it was a joke until we all turned around and screamed at the bus driver to let him know the bus was smoking. As soon as the bus driver was notified about the smoking coming out from the cabin he asked all the students to go on the side of the road and stay against the fence. There was no answers on what would happen next. The bus the bus driver called the company to send us another bus but that would take 3 hours. So the bus driver called Quartz Hill high school to send a bus out to get us in time for the game. But by the time the bus got to where the original bus was broken down the game was already over and our boys had lost the CIF game 3-1. Quartz Hill bus took PVHS students to a spot where there was fast food restaurants to eat as soon as every student got a chance to eat the bus driver took all the students to Quartz Hill high school where the students had to wait another hour for the replacement bus to come get them and take them home. All the students were mad because they did not make it to the game and get to support the players. The players were disappointed and were expecting the students to be there to show support. Friday night went from a very exciting day to a day where everyone was frustrated and mad.

Q: How do you feel that the students didn’t make it to the game? If you guys were in that same bus that the students were in what would your thoughts be? What are your thoughts on the bus driver having students stranded in the middle of no where?

A: “Personally I was sort of sad that they couldn’t see us play and it made the team a little sad. We have never had a huge crowd at our games and we all felt like if they were out there cheering for us it could’ve been a different outcome and we would’ve been more pumped up to play. It was kind of weird that the bus had a problem the day before we took the trip. We wanted our supporters to go so we got the vans, but if we would have taken that bus we would’ve been worried on how we would get to the game.” – Jouse Chavez (11th Varsity player, Captain, #10)

Q: How did you feel on Friday on the way to the CIF game? What were your thoughts once the bus broke down? Would you want to go on another trip to a CIF game?
A: “On Friday I was very excited because it would’ve been the first time that I ever went to a CIF game. Friday was suppose to be a great day and it ended up being a day where everyone was mad and frustrated because we weren’t going to make it to the CIF game. Once the bus broke down I was mad and sad at the same time. The bus driver needed to check everything and make sure that the bus was in good condition instead of risking 50 students out in the middle of no where. The bus driver risked taking the bus all the way to Lancaster knowing that there was something wrong with the bus. Next time I go to a CIF game I will probably ask a friend to drive me over to the game or I’ll probably drive over myself. But other than that I will not get on a bus ever again.” -Lucero Rangel (9)

“Friday night was a disaster for everyone there was a lot of people that were mad and they were cold. When the bus broke down everyone was standing out in the cold and some people hardly had signal on their phones to communicate with their parents and let them know that they were okay. As soon as I let my mom know what was going on she started freaking out and started asking questions of where we were and what had happened. All the students were mad because they weren’t going to be able to watch the game. Me personally I feel like the bus driver didn’t care that the bus was failing and he drove either way like that. It’s kind of weird that those type of buses break down because they are one of the good buses and the only buses that I believe should be breaking down are the yellow school buses. That night was suppose to be a night full of excitement and a lot of pictures to be taken on the camera. I feel disappointed because the players were expecting at least someone to be there taking their pictures. It was sad to know that the players were disappointed and that they didn’t win that night but either way the players are always going to be the best players in our school no matter what.” -Diana Valenzuela Garcia (12, yearbook reporter)