A headline-grabbing statement on seat belts, a man who overcame great odds by learning to walk again, and even a magnificent barn owl are among the highlights captured here from the 2015 NAPT and NASDPTS conferences in Virginia.
PHOTOS: Stimulating speakers, surprises at the Richmond conferences
Scott Burrows told NAPT and NASDPTS members about the car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down and how he worked hard to regain use of his limbs. “You can choose to be bitter, or you can choose to be better,” he said.
A large crowd of NAPT and NASDPTS members gave Burrows — appropriately enough — a standing ovation for his inspiring speech.
The Virginia State Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson, was among the historical and eye-catching buildings that conference attendees could see while walking around Richmond.
On the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol is a George Washington monument (which is currently surrounded by scaffolding).
Jeff Terlep from Blue Bird presents the NAPT Heroism Award to Macon County (N.C.) Schools bus driver Alice Bradley, who was credited with thwarting a potential school shooting in June. Read about other award winners here.
Another striking structure in Richmond is Old City Hall, seen here behind a display of fall colors.
Thomas Built Buses CEO Caley Edgerly made connections between the company’s new BusWise technology platform and the capabilities of a barn owl — both are “sensitive, efficient and intelligent,” he said. Edgerly brought that point to life by bringing out a real barn owl.
After speaking from his wheelchair for much of his presentation, Burrows surprised the audience by standing up and walking — which a doctor had told him he wouldn’t be able to do again after the accident. “Never let something that someone else believes paralyze you from achieving those things in your life that you might be able to achieve,” Burrows said.
A closer look at the George Washington equestrian statue.
Mark Rosekind, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, made national headlines for his presentation at the conference, in which he said his agency’s new position is that “every child on every school bus should have a three-point seat belt.”
New York directors of transportation Cheryl Dalton (left) of Saratoga Springs City Schools and Dawn Russell of Monroe-Woodbury Central School District get their picture taken at the Transfinder “selfie station.”
Theater students from Montgomery County (Va.) Public Schools present a Willy Wonka-themed school bus safety play that they performed as part of Love the Bus month in February.
A student plays the part of Willy Wonka, who drives other characters on a school bus and teaches them the rules.
Siphiwe Baleka tells NAPT attendees about the approach to fitness he developed as a long-haul trucker driver. He said it can also work for school bus drivers.
David Cooper of the Transportation Security Administration was one of several federal officials who spoke to state pupil transportation directors at the NASDPTS conference.
More than 120 school bus manufacturers and suppliers exhibited at the NAPT trade show.
Matt Egan, Frank Gazeley and Joe Altieri from Transfinder got into the spirit of the NAPT Summit theme — “Engage, Explore, Empower” — with Egan, Gazeley and other staff members dressing up in superhero costumes.
School Bus Fleet General Manager James Blue poses with a likeness of Perley A. Thomas, founder of Thomas Built Buses. The manufacturer is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016.
Kenny Mulder (left) and Lloyd Givens of Missouri’s Special School District pose in the photo booth at an IC Bus evening event.