On April 9, 2026, MVARA set up its Emergency Communications Bus at La Crescent Montessori & STEM School, located at 1116 South Oak Street in La Crescent, MN. Club members arrived at 12:45 PM for setup, and students and teaching staff toured the bus from 1:15 PM to 2:15 PM.
The weather was beautiful, and both students and staff greatly appreciated the visit. We had about 70 students tour the bus, and there was strong interest in amateur radio —several even had the opportunity to participate in live contacts via the local 2-meter repeater.
Wayne KØWLO, who led the school visit, would like to extend a special thank-you to Dan W9FCC, Tom WA9TS, Bill N9FDE, and Steve N9SJM for their help in making the event possible. Overall, it was a very successful and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
We are also exploring the possibility of assisting the school in setting up a ham radio club, as there are several Montessori ham clubs in the USA. While we were not permitted to take photos of the students during the event, Dan W9FCC did capture a few images of the setup, which can be viewed below.
