Kendall, N.Y. — A school bus that once transported local students is now serving a new purpose some 3,826 miles away.
Joakim Nordstrom, who lives in northern Finland, wrote a message to the Kendall Central School District earlier this year saying he had purchased a bus that appeared to once belong to the district.
The district said Bus 126, as it was known, was retired at the end of the 2016-17 school and was sold in 2019.
The bus was “heavily renovated” by its new owner and eventually shipped overseas, where it’s being “converted into a lakeside retreat” along the shores of Lake Miekojärvi.
Now renamed “Kendall,” the bus has been “transformed into a one-of-a-kind arctic getaway for travelers near the Arctic Circle.”
“It was a surprise when we found out that one of our buses made it all the way to Finland and is being repurposed and will be used for years to come,” Superintendent Nick Picardo said in a release. “I hope ‘Kendall’ brings as much joy to others as it did to the many students it greeted each morning with smiles on their faces!”
Nordstrom and partner Jennifer Carver’s plans for the bus include a lakeside terrace, a hot tub, and a redesigned interior that will include photos from its days at Kendall schools to give guests “a glimpse into small-town student life in Upstate New York.”
“It is amazing that a bus I used to drive here at Kendall when I was a substitute driver has made it all the way to Finland – 3,826 miles and an ocean apart,” Karen Jones, the district’s transportation director said in a release. “Now as Director of Transportation, I always wonder what happens to buses once we are done with them. I love that Bus 126 was reinvented into something for people to use for years to come and that a little piece of Kendall history is now in Finland.”
Information for this story was provided by Amanda Dedie, communication specialist forthe Kendall Central School District. CLICK HERE for more information.