FIELD TWP- For most kids, an ordinary bus ride home is just that – ordinary. But for North Woods sixth grader Eero Ruuska, one recent afternoon turned into a lesson in calm, clear-headed leadership.
When his bus driver became disoriented and confused, Eero didn’t freeze. He stepped up, followed instructions, and helped keep the situation under control until help arrived.
It began like any other afternoon. But somewhere along the route, veteran school bus driver Peter Mock knew something wasn’t right. He was disoriented and confused – he recognized the town of Cook but couldn’t figure out exactly where he was. Unsure what to do, Mock pulled over and called the school.
That call quickly reached transportation director Kay Cornelius. Though Mock sounded fine at first, it became clear he was struggling with short-term memory loss. He couldn’t recall more than a few seconds at a time. Cornelius asked if he had a responsible high school student onboard who could help, but he said he didn’t. So, she asked if there was someone he could trust, and he said yes. That someone was sixth grader Eero Ruuska.
Eero took the phone, and Cornelius calmly gave him instructions: make sure the bus stayed turned off, don’t let Peter drive, and keep the other kids quiet.
“I said to Eero, ‘You’re now in control. You’re the boss. You’re going to do what I tell you, and you’re going to tell Peter what to do,’” Cornelius said.
The bus was loud and tense. Eero stood up and told everyone to sit down and be quiet. He spoke with authority, relaying information between Cornelius and emergency responders. When asked where the bus was, Eero didn’t have a street name, but he identified a nearby house. That was enough for Cornelius to pinpoint the location.
Meanwhile, Peter’s condition was deteriorating.
“I was there,” Peter said. “I don’t remember, but I was. The only memory I have, visual memory, and I’ve heard this happens with having a stroke, is you kind of get a tunnel vision. And that’s the only memory I have of anything – Eero standing there with my phone and just kind of a dark cloud around him.”
Peter was eventually loaded into an ambulance as Cornelius arrived on scene to drive the bus. Eero remained calm through the entire ordeal. Even then, he was comforting his younger sister and other shaken students, Cornelius said.
At a school gathering honoring Eero recently, Cornelius became emotional as she presented him with a certificate.
“Eero is a true example. There were older students on the bus, but Eero is 12 years old, sixth grade. He was the leader of the pack that day,” Cornelius said. “Today is Eero Ruuska’s day. He gets the whole day, and he’s my hero.”
Eero, typically a quiet kid, was visibly surprised by the attention.
“I’m just kind of shocked that all of this came from just me helping my bus driver,” he said. “Just a reminder to always be calm and you’ll get through things.”
His parents, Jeannine and Seth Ruuska, said they only pieced together what had happened after the kids got home late.
“In that moment, we were, you know, super proud and relieved that he did the mature thing and was able to stay calm and do what he needed to do,” Jeannine said.
“We didn’t realize how serious it was until we talked to Peter after the fact,” Seth added. “We’re really proud that he stepped up in a moment of need and didn’t falter and did the right thing.”
Mock, who’s still recovering, knows things could have ended much differently.
“I was fortunate that it was mild,” he said. “But I’m thankful for Eero, because the only memory I have is Eero standing there with my phone.”