A school bus driver who teaches chess, Santa transporting students, and a vintage 1930s bus are among these fascinating photos from the SBF Snapshots department.
PHOTOS: Pupil Transportation in Pictures — Winter/Spring 2018
Jessica Palmer got a letter that reinforced the impact school bus drivers can have in students’ lives. Alex Hernandez, now a high school senior, wrote to Palmer, now director of transportation and safety for Tempe (Ariz.) Elementary School District, recalling how she protected him from teasing and encouraged him when he rode her bus in elementary school.
A school bus suncatcher is silhouetted by a brilliant winter scene in Cary, North Carolina, on Jan. 18. Pupil transportation consultant and School Bus Fleet contributor Derek Graham snapped the shot through his office window.
On Dec. 8, San Antonio, Texas, got about 2 inches of snow — the most in more than 30 years for the home of the Alamo. Here, Carmen Hughes, a transportation payroll manager for San Antonio ISD, shows off a rare (and probably short-lived) San Antonio snowman.
At a community “Trunk or Treat” event on Halloween, Waterford (Calif.) Unified School District shed light on safety with the theme “Stop for Red — Kids Ahead.” Transportation Director Suzanne Bauer said the annual event is “a terrific opportunity to share school bus safety with our community.”
Donald Harris’ work with students isn’t limited to the school bus. The driver for Duncanville Independent School District (ISD) in Texas is sharing his newfound love of chess in the school cafeteria, teaching and playing with students during lunch break. Photo courtesy Duncanville ISD
Transportation staff at San Antonio ISD stepped aboard the “Mobile Mercado,” a grocery store and demonstration kitchen on wheels, during a health fair in January. The two-day event at the district offered free produce, wellness education, Zumba classes, and massages.
Louk Markham has retired from school transportation, but he still has a lot on his plates (pun intended). He put together this impressive display of school bus license plates collected from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and all 13 Canadian provinces and territories.
Markham’s display won a first-place award at the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association’s 2017 convention.
Mark Johnson, North Carolina’s state superintendent of public instruction, took the wheel of a vintage 1930s school bus at a Sept. 5 event recognizing the 100th anniversary of motorized school transportation in the state. Photo courtesy N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction
Students and parents alike were surprised to see who was driving a Greenville County (S.C.) Schools bus on Dec. 20: Santa Claus. The St. Nick doppelganger was actually Carroll Bailey, who has served as a driver for the district for five years.
During a holiday party sponsored by Pomona (Calif.) Unified School District’s Family Support & Resource Center, Durham School Services team members brought joy to four families by donating gifts from their wish lists.
Parma (Ohio) City School District held its second “Stuff the Bus” event on Dec. 2. School bus drivers and other staff volunteered for the effort to gather toys, clothes, nonperishables, and monetary donations. “Last year and this year combined, we were able to help out between 380 and 390 families that were in need for the holidays,” said Angelo Caputo, the district’s director of transportation.