On the snowy morning of Wednesday, February 22, 2023, kindergartners at the Pendleton Early Learning Center (PELC) found a great way to thank the bus drivers from First Student, Inc., who serve the Pendleton School District. The young students sat with bus drivers, dressed in their brightly colored safety vests, at tables in the cafeteria, eating mini donuts and visiting together.

In celebration of national Love the Bus Month, the school district encouraged schools to find a way to thank the dedicated drivers who safely transport students to and from Pendleton schools every day. The PELC decided on a breakfast event, with three or four classes rotating in for 20 minutes at a time to say thank you. Some students brought handmade cards and crayon-colored pictures to give to the drivers.

Shari, a bus driver who has been driving PSD routes for ten years, drives “Dory,” which transports students with special needs. “I relate to the students on my bus because I raised a special needs child. I love to see their faces every day and love the way they smile when they see me.”

Kenny has been driving school buses since 2015 and drives “Loki.” He likes that his passengers think he’s hilarious, which is a boost to his morale. He said he enjoys the bus orientation he leads at the start of the school year because he likes teaching kids.

A husband and wife, Phil and Beth, are both school bus drivers. Phil, who drives “Charlie B” out toward Pilot Rock, said he couldn’t stand sitting at home when he retired, so he started driving. “I grew up on a farm, so I like driving the rural route, plus I like buses, and I like kids,” Phil said. Beth, who drives “Mickey” with stops at multiple schools, said the incentive on her bus is that if students maintain appropriate voice levels, they get to choose a toy to play with. Her advice for being a school bus driver is “patience, humor, and to make it an adventure!”

PELC Principal Angela Lattin said the appreciation event was an easy way to thank the bus drivers and to encourage positive connections between students and drivers, which contributes to good bus behavior.

Patrick Phillips, Location Manager for First Student, Inc., the bus company Pendleton School District contracts with, also attended the PELC event, calling the appreciation “unprecedented and heartwarming and saying that it means a lot to be thanked like this.”

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