Our Bright Spot shines on a retired school bus from Orleans County that has embarked on an unexpected journey, finding a new purpose nearly 4,000 miles away in Finland.

School Bus 126, which served students in Kendall until its retirement in 2017, has been transformed into a cozy lakeside retreat in the Finnish Laplands.

Karen Jones, the former driver of Bus 126, expressed her surprise at the bus’s new life. “When I first heard about this I thought yea there’s no way,” she said.

The bus’s journey to Finland began when Jennifer Carver and Joakim Nordstrom discovered it during a road trip last March. “We took a road trip last March in the Finnish Laplands and completely fell in love in that area and I asked him if he would be willing to maybe purchase a small cottage,” Carver said. Instead, they found the converted American school bus along a stunning Finnish lake. “So I asked them what is that yellow thing and they said it’s our converted American school bus and I just said tell us more please,” she added.

Nordstrom was intrigued by the bus’s history. “I of course immediately thought to look at all the stickers. And then I saw like Kendall Central school. I thought it would be so cool to ask if they had some pictures of it when it was rolling the Route 126,” he said.

The bus, now a lakeside retreat on the edge of the Arctic Circle, offers a unique and cozy experience. “It’s so cozy you come in and you immediately feel like home,” said Carver.

News of the bus’s transformation reached Kendall, sparking interest among locals.

Nicholas Picardo, Director of Transportation and former driver of Bus 126, shared his own aspirations. “I’ve already told my husband I said listen once we retire I want to buy a school bus and turn it into an on-the-move camper so we can go where we want, stay where we want,” he said.

Carver extended an open invitation to the Kendall community. “Come and visit see what Kendall turned into she still is a very functional, beautiful bus just with a different purpose now,” she said.

Joakim and Jennifer plan to launch a website and social media channels to document Kendall’s transformation.

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