26 | MAY 18 • 2023 A big yellow bus rolled into the Hillel Day School parking lot to the awe and delight of young stu- dents. This bus was no ordinary yellow bus; it was the Topsy- Turvy Bus, designed to look like an upside-down bus plopped on top of a rightside-up bus. The trip to the school on Friday, April 21, marked the bus’ 2023 debut and served as the star of the school’s Earth Day program. Hundreds of students visited the bio-fuel bus through- out the day as part of an event sponsored by the school’s newly formed Green Club. The bus is owned and operated by Adamah Detroit (formerly Hazon Detroit). Children as young as 2 years old up through seventh grade climbed aboard to learn about Earth Day, the environment and creative ways to protect the Earth, such as using alternative and renewable fuel. Student volunteers from the Green Club helped younger students board the bus and return to their class- rooms. “The Topsy-Turvy Bus is a mobile classroom designed to spark the imaginations of the next generation and help connect our people and planet behind a collective purpose. Adamah Detroit is so glad to have been able to share this experience with so many Hillel students, ” said Ari Cohen, program coordinator for Adamah Detroit. A special guest also visited the school along with the bus: author Anita Pazner, who wrote a children’s book called The Topsy-Turvy Bus, inspired by the bus and its mission to promote sustainable practices. The book follows the story of two kids who learn about using vegetable oil for fuel, a bike-powered blender, organic farming and garbage- eating worms. Pazner met with fourth-grad- ers to share her experience writ- ing the book and what inspired her to craft the story. She signed copies of the book as students shared their favorite part of the story. “I liked that there was a smoothie blender bike, ” said fourth-grader Noam Vered. The Earth Day event kicked off a week of composting at the school. The Topsy-Turvy Bus program and composting efforts were all part of the Green Club’s sustainability efforts, made pos- sible by winning two grants this school year: one from Adamah and another one from the Detroit Zoological Society’s GreenPrize. “During Green Club, I have learned about many things: com- posting, recycling, the Topsy- Turvy Bus and, most impor- tantly, how I love to see others happy about helping our world. Composting has brought on joy, and learning and I’m so thank- ful, ” said Ally Berman, a sixth- grader who has participated in all of the club’s activities. Getting the bus around town was no small feat. Adamah enlisted the help of an experi- enced truck driver, who noted that the bus is very top heavy and can be challenging to maneuver. It was out of commission for several months due to the bus hitting a low-hanging branch late last year. The Topsy-Turvy Bus is used as a traveling classroom for Jewish children in the Detroit area. It will continue to travel around, teaching children and adults about sustainability. Will the bus come to your neigh- borhood? Maybe, but only if the trees along the street are trimmed. OUR COMMUNITY Hillel students climb on board just in time for Earth Day. The Topsy- Turvy Bus Runs Again LAURA PASEK CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTOS COURTESY OF HILLEL Preschoolers through sev- enth graders got to visit the bus. LEFT: The Topsy-Turvy Bus rolled into the Hillel parking lot to celebrate Earth Day. Hillel students check out the Topsy-Turvy Bus.