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Rocket Full of Love

May 28, 2025

Many people recognize the iconic image of a yellow school bus and understand the important role it plays in our community. School buses play a vital role in our children’s education, not only safely transporting them from their homes to their schools, but also taking them on adventures to learn from hands-on experiences through field trips, competitions, and more.

But there is one school bus in Indian River County that is different from the rest. It has no seats to take kids to school, but it does have a rocket to take them to the moon. It is the Moonshot Reading Rocket.

Lovingly designed and cared for by local artist Cat Faust and Bridget Lyons from The Learning Alliance, the Rocket drives the Moonshot Goal of helping 90% of students read on grade level by the end of 3rd grade. Together with Moonshot, a puppet representing an Indian River County student who is learning to read, Bridget and the Rocket create cozy spaces to read together, distribute books, connect arts to literacy through themed activities at community events, and make reading fun.

The Rocket may not take kids to school or on field trips or to competitions like other buses, but it is just as important for our Indian River County students and their ability to learn. Making sure that families have books in their home can increase children’s overall academic success, vocabulary development, and future careers. Having a comfortable place dedicated to reading can help children better understand what they’re reading and read for longer. Reading together as a family isfoundational to later language and literacy skills, as well as improved behavior and health. And connecting the arts to literacy not only improves understanding by connecting written words to the real world but also makes reading fun and engaging.
The bus has received national attention, winning multiple Pacesetter awards from the Campaign for Grade Level Reading and attending events across the country. In 2017, the Rocket was invited to drive 1,904 miles to Denver for the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s conference as an example for their Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, and in 2018, it went 1,058 miles to Philadelphia for the conference again. Along the way, they collected stories for The Learning Alliance’s project “Voices: A Community Tapestry of Stories.” Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s – Kentucky’s 2015-2016 poet laureate – poem “ Where I’m From” and The Learning Alliance’s co-founder Liz Remington’s long-time dream to travel the country collecting stories, this tapestry wove together a community in making a beautiful and inspirational story together.
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The Rocket isn’t just a bus, it’s a portal to our community’s Moonshot Goal. It’s a safe space for children and adults alike to read, learn, and grow together. It’s a community. And it’s packed to the brim with love – for this community, for our students, and for reading.

So if you see the Rocket out and about, be sure to honk and say hi!

Learn more about : How Moonshot Academy Helps Students Read.  

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