Top school bus drivers compete in Greensboro

GREENSBORO, N.C. — School bus drivers from across the U.S. and Canada tested their skills here in July during the 39th Annual International School Bus Driver Safety Competition.

The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) organizes the competition, which is held in conjunction with its annual meeting and convention. The competition comprises maneuvering through a challenging driving course and completing a written exam that tests knowledge of operational and safety standards.

Danny Stegall of Liberty (Mo.) Public Schools placed first in the Transit Class, while Larry Hannon of Centennial School District in Warminster, Penn., placed first in the Conventional Class. This is the sixth time Hannon has won a top spot in the competition.

Brandy Acevedo of the Monterey County Office of Education in Salinas, Calif., finished first in the Small Bus Class.

Here are the top competitors for each of the classes:

Transit
1. Danny Stegall, Liberty (Mo.) Public Schools
2. Tyler Reynolds, Virginia Beach (Va.) City Public Schools
3. Pamela Pagan, Center Grove Community Schools Corp., Bargersville, Ind.
4. Don Haney, Kent (Wash.) School District
5. Dana Clark, Madison County Board of Education, Richmond, Ky.
6. Doug Smith, Snowline Joint Unified School District, Phelan, Calif.
7. Hannah Beard, First Student Inc., Grover, Mo.
8. Robert McManus, Beaumont (Texas) Independent School District
9. Steven Wright, First Student Inc., Olathe, Kan.
10. Sheila Van Weel, Forsythe Transportation, Chugiak, Alaska

Conventional
1. Larry Hannon, Centennial School District, Warminster, Pa.
2. George Soverns, Rittenhouse Bus Lines Inc., Smock, Pa.
3. Billy Wiseman, Kanawha County Schools, Charleston, W.Va.
4. Christine Fritz, Academy School District 20, Colorado Springs, Colo.
5. Mark Koelbl, First Student Canada, Calgary, Alberta
6. Charles Burro, Montgomery County Public Schools, Christiansburg, Va.
7. Brent Carman, Morgan Hill (Calif.) Unified School District
8. Bonnie Pool, First Student Inc., House Springs, Mo.
9. Michelle Schultz, First Student Inc., Grand Junction, Colo.
10. C. Arthur Birdsley, Hudsonville (Mich.) Public Schools

Small Bus
1. Brandy Acevedo, Monterey County Office of Education, Salinas, Calif.
2. Janet Turner, Greater Albany (Ore.) Public Schools
3. Karen Schoonover, Roanoke (Va.) City Schools
4. Randy Paxson, Durham School Services, Witchita, Kan.
5. Joanna Robson, Minneapolis & Suburban Bus Co.

NSTA also held a contest among the drivers to select a slogan for next year’s competition. The winning slogan was, “Celebrating 40 Years of the International School Bus Driver Safety Competition: Still Thriving Towards Driving Safely,” which was submitted by Angel DeSousa of Tremblay Bus Co. in Fall River, Mass.

The 40th Annual International School Bus Driver Safety Competition will be held in St. Louis.