BY ABBY LUBY

For thousands of students the school day starts when they get on the bus. For some, the ride sets the tone of the day, and if everyone gets along, the day could be a good one. But if there's friction between students or between students and the bus driver, a grumpy kid could stumble into the classroom with little focus, and the bus driver may be put off as well.

At last Wednesday's Bedford Central School District board meeting, 10 elementary school students, two from each elementary school, presented their own version of a new program designed to ease tensions that are so often part of the ride to and from school.

Students participating at the board meeting were third graders Emma Duggan and Madison Girabella from Pound Ridge Elementary School; fourth graders Derek Lisinicchia and Nick De La Pava from Bedford Hills Elementary School; Jennifer Grecco,

third grade, and Taylor Riordan, fourth grade, from Bedford Village Elementary School; Francesco Serratorre, third grade, and Alexis Mitchell, fourth grade, from Mount Kisco Elementary School; and fourth grader Nicky Troccoli, and Danielle Hall, fifth grade, from West Patent Elementary School.

The program is called the Driver/Student Leadership Program, and the pilot was started last year at West Patent Elementary School. This year the program has been at Pound Ridge Elementary School, Bedford Village Elementary School, Mount Kisco Elementary School, Bedford Hills Elementary School, and is scheduled for West Patent Elementary School in a few weeks.

Introducing the idea of the program to the board was supervisor of transportation Thomas Turner and Pound Ridge Elementary School principal Eric Byrne.

"Last year at Pound Ridge we started the'School Bus Leadership program to set up leadership role models for the students and their peers," said Mr. Byrne. "We were trying to minimize any conflicts that occur on the bus."

The program proved successful, said Mr. Byrne, who said they met with Mr. Turner to talk about bringing the program to the entire district.

Mr. Turner said, "In the coming weeks, a large number of students will be trained to be role models for the bus. We are trying to address student behavior on the buses and the relationships between bus drivers and students."

The board watched a video that was produced from the session held last month at Pound Ridge Elementary School. The video showed two classes, one for students and one for the bus drivers.

The kids talked about what it was like on the bus, how it could be better, and then worked the information into a song.

The drivers and the students then met for a final class in the same room, where the students sang their song.

The students at the meeting responded to questions from the board. When asked what the training was like, Emma Duggan, from Pound Ridge Elementary, said, "It's a lot of fun, and a lot of kids really enjoyed it. We-learned- how to act on the bus."

Other students said the session helped them to get to know who their bus drivers were. "I learned that my bus driver likes soccer," said one boy.

"My bus driver likes car racing," said another.

"We learned that buses are interesting places," said Mr. Turner, "and the bus drivers are important people that take you from home, where you live, to school and back again."

Modeling good behavior and conflict resolution was integral to the training sessions. One student commented that the course changed her thinking. "You shouldn't yell at kids when something is wrong. You need to talk to them nicely and just tell them what's wrong."

Getting to know their bus drivers was, for some, the best part of the training. Some students had never seen their bus drivers standing and were surprised at what they looked like.

Bus drivers were given tips on things they could do to reach out to the students. On the video, they heard advice on making small talk with students by finding mutual interests, building relationships.

"We are trying to establish a common denominator - the school bus is like a mobile school," said Mr. Turner.

Closing the gap between students and drivers seems to have worked.

On the video, one of the bus drivers said, "I remember teachers took me aside and thanked me, recognizing something positive that I did.

I remember as if it was yesterday It works."

Drivers got suggestions on how to solve problems, how to get to know and respect the students, learn their names.

"Its not often we get students here talking to us, and this coming together is very exciting," said district superintendent Debra Jackson. "The program is a wonderful one for students, who can now have a great experience with the drivers, who really  put the students first."