School Bus Campers

Vandals hit church buses twice

Children at the Susanna Wesley United Methodist Church Soaring Through Summer day camp felt as if their wings had been clipped Wednesday morning when they arrived to find that the bus that was to take them on their field trips had been vandalized.

It marked the second time in three days that someone had shot out windows to a bus at the church.

As a result, campers in grades one through six had to stay at the church, 7433 S.W. 29th, rather than going on a field trip.

Both vandalisms, which were reported to the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office, left camp leaders and children scratching their heads.

“I'm hoping whoever did this will brag about it to a friend,” said camp director Dawn Brown, “and that someone with a conscience will hear about it and report it to the authorities.”

Brown said the camp had never experienced any acts of vandalism.

She said the church purchased a used Bluebird school bus for the day camp two years ago. It was in the church parking lot Sunday when someone shot 16 holes in its windows overnight. The vandalism was discovered Monday morning.

The church took its bus to a shop for repairs and was able to borrow a school bus from Durham School Services. That bus was used for a trip Tuesday to the Oz Museum in Wamego before its windows were shot out overnight Tuesday. Brown said the Durham bus windows and doors had 25 holes in them.

Brown said sheriff's deputies indicated the holes were made either by a BB gun or a pellet gun. A dollar-loss estimate on the vandalisms wasn't available Wednesday afternoon.

Brown said she believed the same vandals may have returned overnight Tuesday to do more damage to a bus “because they didn't get caught the first time.”

The day camp features a range of field trips during its 11-week session, which began on May 31 and runs until the start of school in August.

So far this year, campers have traveled by bus to Worlds of Fun, the Kansas City Zoo, the Blaisdell Family Aquatic Center at Gage Park, the Shawnee North Family Aquatic Center, the Konza Prairie near Manhattan and Perry Lake.

On Wednesday, campers were to go to a nearby horse ranch and also to Lake Shawnee.

Those plans were nixed, thanks to the vandals.

Besides the hassle of getting the buses repaired, Brown said, the children, ages 6 to 11, are the real losers.

“They were all disappointed,” she said. “They're trying to come up with ways to solve the problem. Some said we should camouflage the bus so no one can see it. Others said we should have people sleep on it.

Vandals hit church buses twice | CJOnline.com

Children at the Susanna Wesley United Methodist Church Soaring Through Summer day camp felt as if their wings had been clipped Wednesday morning when they arrived to find that the bus that was to take them on their field trips had been vandalized.

It marked the second time in three days that someone had shot out windows to a bus at the church.

As a result, campers in grades one through six had to stay at the church, 7433 S.W. 29th, rather than going on a field trip.

Both vandalisms, which were reported to the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office, left camp leaders and children scratching their heads.

“I'm hoping whoever did this will brag about it to a friend,” said camp director Dawn Brown, “and that someone with a conscience will hear about it and report it to the authorities.”

Brown said the camp had never experienced any acts of vandalism.

She said the church purchased a used Bluebird school bus for the day camp two years ago. It was in the church parking lot Sunday when someone shot 16 holes in its windows overnight. The vandalism was discovered Monday morning.

The church took its bus to a shop for repairs and was able to borrow a school bus from Durham School Services. That bus was used for a trip Tuesday to the Oz Museum in Wamego before its windows were shot out overnight Tuesday. Brown said the Durham bus windows and doors had 25 holes in them.

Brown said sheriff's deputies indicated the holes were made either by a BB gun or a pellet gun. A dollar-loss estimate on the vandalisms wasn't available Wednesday afternoon.

Brown said she believed the same vandals may have returned overnight Tuesday to do more damage to a bus “because they didn't get caught the first time.”

The day camp features a range of field trips during its 11-week session, which began on May 31 and runs until the start of school in August.

So far this year, campers have traveled by bus to Worlds of Fun, the Kansas City Zoo, the Blaisdell Family Aquatic Center at Gage Park, the Shawnee North Family Aquatic Center, the Konza Prairie near Manhattan and Perry Lake.

On Wednesday, campers were to go to a nearby horse ranch and also to Lake Shawnee.

Those plans were nixed, thanks to the vandals.

Besides the hassle of getting the buses repaired, Brown said, the children, ages 6 to 11, are the real losers.

“They were all disappointed,” she said. “They're trying to come up with ways to solve the problem. Some said we should camouflage the bus so no one can see it. Others said we should have people sleep on it.

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