Westside : C-SPAN Bus Makes Stop at Santa Monica High School

A big yellow bus pulled onto the Santa Monica High School campus Thursday.

That wouldn’t be unusual except that the interior of the vehicle was equipped with television monitors, cameras and production equipment instead of the usual vinyl seats.

Known as the C-Span School Bus, the $750,000 vehicle is a production studio on wheels that is operated by the cable network and has made stops at schools and civic organizations in nearly every state. Using the television equipment on the bus as props, C-SPAN representatives teach students how the network covers politics and show educators how to use C-SPAN in the classroom.

There are actually two of these buses--the first one hit the road three years ago and has been touring since. This year, C-SPAN’s on-board presentation focuses on election-year politics and is geared toward young, first-time voters.

Students, who seemed awed by the elaborate equipment inside the bus, watched short segments of C-SPAN’s coverage and offered their opinions on President Clinton, Colin Powell and other political figures.

“It’s really amazing,” said senior Sara Schmidt, 17. “And I think it’s nice for a change that they wanted to hear our opinions. They were interested in what we had to say”