Dr. Stephen Sroka, an international public health and education expert, opened the STN EXPO in Reno on Friday with a Transportation Director Summit exercise taken from presentations made to Native American governments as well as school administrators and staff, students, parents, school counselors and social workers, and state departments of education.
“Transportation to a T” expanded on the traditional concept of Native American vision quests where youth would go out in nature to find their spiritual identity, and transform it onto a shield that would provide physical, psychological, and spiritual protection. In Friday night’s activity, the shield was a t-shirt given to each of the over 100 attendees that included school district transportation directors and representatives of sponsoring companies.
Sroka encouraged each participant to reflect on who they are, what they do, their likes and dislikes, and their dreams to create a visual of who they are and how they can make a difference in their schools, communities, business, and life. The attendees drew on their t-shirts what is most important to each of them individually to testify about themselves and to create action plans. Sroka also encouraged the attendees to develop similar exercises for school bus driver in-service training to start the coming school year.
The Transportation Director Summit continues on Saturday. Sroka will also present the Sunday STN EXPO Opening General Session Keynote Address “The Power of One, The Power of Many.”
