Reporters Notebook

The Cut

“The Cut” is a weekly reporters notebook-type essay by an Ideastream Public Media content creator, reflecting on the news and on life in Northeast Ohio. What exactly does “The Cut” mean? It's a throwback to the old days of using a razor blade to cut analog tape. In radio lingo, we refer to sound bites as “cuts.” So think of these behind-the-scene essays as “cuts” from Ideastream's producers.

My school, my band, our tears: Tragic bus crash hits close to home

Ideastream Public Media | By Leigh Barr

Published November 16, 2023 at 10:00 AM EST

The marching swing band marches in front of the school as a crowd watches at the dedication of the Tusky Valley Middle-High School on Aug. 31. — I was there when the marching swing band performed at the dedication ceremony of the new Tusky Valley Middle-High School on Aug. 31.

I have worked in news here in Northeast Ohio for more than 25 years. Never have I encountered a story that so deeply impacted me on such a personal and professional level.

Six white candles are lit on a table with black tablecloth

1 of 4 — Tusky Valley bus crash vigil

Six white candles were lit Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, as a memorial to the three students, two chaperones and a teacher from Tuskarawas Valley Local Schools who died in a multi-vehicle crash that morning.

J. Nungesser / Ideastream Public Media

A person wearing a red letterman's jacket with the word "Brother" written on the back faces a lit football field.

2 of 4 — Tuscarawas Valley bus crash vigil Brother jacket

Students, faculty and community members filled the stands and watched in silence along the fence line surrounding the Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School football field during a candlelight vigil Tuesday night to remember six people who died in a multi-vehicle crash on Nov. 14, 2023. Some cried, many held their loved ones.

J. Nungesser / Ideastream Public Media

A crowd of people look toward a vigil on the football field.

3 of 4 — Tuscarawas Valley bus crash vigil

A few thousand people attended the Tuesday night candlelight vigil. Cars were lined up about half a mile from the Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School stadium where the vigil was held.

J. Nungesser / Ideastream Public Media

An American flag hands from the ladder of a fire truck behind a group of people.

4 of 4 — Tuscarawas Valley bus crash vigil

The nearby Mineral City Fire Department hung an American flag on their ladder truck outside the stadium where the vigil was held.

J. Nungesser / Ideastream Public Media

I grew up in Tuscarawas County and graduated from Tusky Valley High School. This little piece of rural Ohio has always been home, even when I lived in various Cleveland suburbs to be closer to work.

Until Tuesday, my hometown and high school alma mater were not widely known. Many cannot pronounce Tuscarawas correctly. That all changed Tuesday morning on Interstate 70 near Columbus when a tractor-trailer, an SUV and a charter bus carrying the school’s marching band and chaperones were involved in a tragic crash.

Six are dead including three students and more than a dozen were injured. Tusky Valley is trending on X. What a heartbreaking and surreal day.

The news media describes this region as "small town" and "rural." That is true. But what that doesn’t capture is how deep the roots run for families here. My entire extended maternal family graduated from Tusky Valley. Many of us were in the band. I played the flute and still cherish those memories.

“On Tuesday, it felt like those were all of our kids.”

Tusky Valley’s marching swing band has always been a treasure of the community. I had the privilege to be part of the band under the great Frank Corbi.

Just a few short weeks ago I had the chance to watch the current band in a county-wide show. Though smaller than some of the bands, Tusky Valley’s marching band had a mighty and vibrant sound.

In a nod to the past, the band performed the “Saint Louis Blues” as its opener. It’s a tradition that harkens back decades and ties band members and families together through the years. I can't count the number of times I played it.

I caught up with the band director after the show at the opening of the new middle-high school. I gushed how proud I was of them and how many beautiful memories that show brought back for me. I don’t know how to reconcile that joy of yesterday with the tragedy of Tuesday.

Students hold hands walking in a row across a football field. — Members of the Tusky Valley high school band, arms and hands interlocked, as they marched across the field during a vigil for their classmates and teacher who died Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, when the bus they were riding in was hit by a semitruck on I-70 near Columbus.

This community is closely-knit. Everybody either knows someone personally or knows someone who knows that person. On Tuesday, it felt like those were all of our kids.

You see that interconnectedness in the generous outpouring of support from area organizations, businesses and other school districts all seeking to help in some small way. Social media brought an outpouring of prayers and good wishes, taking temporary pause from the usual vitriol.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring for this district or my hometown, but it’s the selfless outpouring of kindness and charity that I will take with me to sleep.

Bright lights on a dark day.

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