By RMCNews – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … After 27 years, the Mile High Academy bus, which has carried many students and faculty to multiple events, has left campus for the final time.

The bus quit working in August and according to MHA, parts have become non-existent and the knowledgeable service mechanic retired, selling not only his shop but also comparable spare-part busses. Based on the uphill challenge for the bus, the administration decided it was time to sell MHA’s iconic transportation mode.

Reflecting on the quintessential bus, Brian Howard, upper school teacher, said, “It was a way to get where we were going, but it was also much more than that. It was a safe place to hang out. It was a place to learn new and interesting things about our friends and colleagues as we talked while rolling along. It was a place to learn new games. It was a place where friendships were made and strengthened.”

Upon hearing the news of “Blue’s” final trip, alumni began posting memories on Facebook.

“So long, Old Blue. The stories you could tell. A piece of MHA history is gone on [to] the bus farm in the sky,” Amy Rasco, MHA alumnus commented.

Greg Shick, another MHA alumnus, recalled his in-school suspension resulting from the bus, “I got ISS (in-school suspension) for locking Marcus Smittick in the cargo hold of that bus.”

A committee has started researching several gently-used buses and is working on finding the right one for MHA.

–This article was adapted from an article which originally appeared on Mile High Academy’s website; photo supplied