Ridgefield High School junior Kobee Nelson sits in front of the mural in the center of the RHS campus. Nelson recently received an award from KWRL Transportation Cooperative for his actions in reducing conflict on his school bus.
RIDGEFIELD — Kobee Nelson cites the way he was raised as why he decided to stand up and make his school bus a safer place.
Nelson, a junior at Ridgefield High School, explained that along with his extracurricular activities in wrestling and track and field among others, being a role model brother to his two siblings, Kai and Korbin, was something he strived to do.
A bit of that experience of being a role model came into play recently when he took initiative to help out a fellow student on the bus, even when it was clear the student wasn’t receptive.
The disadvantaged student would stick his head and arms out of the bus window whenever a car or bus drove by, Nelson said. After being told multiple times not to do such, Nelson took it upon himself to become more assertive, physically tapping the student on the shoulder to send the message home. Later, the student became more combative to Nelson.
Nelson brought the incident to the attention of the bus driver when he had the chance, asking for the student to have a supervised seat. He met with more resistance from the student, who again started pushing him and verbally attacking Nelson.
“Luckily the bus driver was calm enough to handle the situation better than I probably would,” Nelson said.
He picked up on some of that student’s aggression as being reflexive of how other students acted to the disadvantaged student, as Nelson mentioned that a few days earlier other students were egging the disadvantaged student on, being confrontational and trying to start a fight.
A few days after the incident, Nelson was called to the school office, which made him think initially he was in some sort of trouble. Far from it, as he was told that he had been recognized by KWRL Transportation Cooperative, the company contracted by several local school districts including Ridgefield, from where he received the KWRL Hero Award for Honorable Stewardship.
Nelson being a student receiving the award was unprecedented, as typically the award is only presented to bus drivers, as stated in a release from the Ridgefield School District.
“It’s still kinda hitting me, even to this day,” Nelson said, speaking to The Reflector.
Nelson said he took action simply because he had the opportunity. He said that although initially he felt joy from getting the recognition, he didn’t think what he did was anything too out of the ordinary.
“There’s a ton of more people who probably do more than I do,” Nelson said. “What I thought it was one little thing that should be done normally.”
The attention he has received has been a bit nerve-wracking at times, Nelson said he’s taking it in stride.
“I’ve never had so many people, I guess, pay attention to me,” Nelson said. When asked if he thought the recognition might go to his head, he didn’t think so, referencing that his family helps to keep him grounded.
Nelson’s message was for people to take initiative to help right wrongs and stand up for their peers when they have the chance.
“If you have the option to do something about something you think is wrong, do it,” Nelson said.
