The National School Transportation Association said farewell and thank you to Robin Leeds, who retired July 31 as the association’s industry specialist.
She worked on government relations, research and communications projects, and provided technical expertise to NSTA’s Congressional lobbyists. Leeds was NSTA’s liaison to the federal regulatory agencies and its media contact and participated in the National Congress on School Transportation from 1990 to 2005, serving as writing chair and editor of the National Specifications and Operational Procedures for School Transportation. She also served as president of the Board of Directors of the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute (PTSI), a national nonprofit educational organization based in Syracuse, N.Y., and was a contributing editor of School Transportation News. She was one busy lady!
NSTA added that Leeds will continue to execute NSTA’s National Clean Diesel EPA Region 2 grant award and other special industry projects.
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Ever wonder what the driver of a school bus or 18-wheeler might talk about on the radio? Well, in the case of Elgin, Ill., school bus driver Tony Hollister, the topic might come as a surprise — cooking. Hollister said he appreciates the unique schedule of a bus driver because he can devote more time to his hobby in between morning and afternoon runs.
He loves cooking and baking comfort food for him and his wife of 43 years (they are now empty nesters). He told the Daily Herald he has been cooking for most of his life and counts his grandmother as a strong influence. Hollister really enjoys cooking hearty meals that “stick to your ribs,” one-bowl dinners like chicken pot pie and desserts, including his famous cheesecake.
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With more interest in electric vehicles being generated at the consumer level, a new program aims to teach students at 10 high schools in South Carolina and West Virginia how these alt-fuel vehicles work mechanically. School districts interested in hybrid and electric school buses may also want to take note.
The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) is spearheading this specialized Career and Educational Training (CTE) curriculum in Morgantown, W.V., where NAFTC is located at West Virginia University. Fifteen instructors recently took the Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Education Program that covered battery electric, plug-in electric, hybrid electric, and fuel-cell electric drive trains. It is funded through a U.S. Department of Energy grant. After each section in the classroom, the instructors are taken into the NAFTC’s onsite automobile lab and conduct various hands-on activities with the equipment and vehicles.www.stopbullying.challenge.gov
“It’s extremely important that we begin this education at the high school level,” NAFTC Executive Director Al Ebron said. “There are a lot of opportunities for young people if we get them early — there are a lot of paths for them to choose from in the alternative fuel field.”
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The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention is encourage students across the nation to submit original PSAs, 30 to 60 seconds in length, that showcase ways they are taking action against bullying and promoting a culture of kindness and respect in their communities. Organizers are seeking informative and entertaining videos that a send positive message to youth about the importance of being “more than a bystander” to bullying in their schools and communities.
The deadline for submission is Oct. 14, and the top prize is $2,000. Full details about the contest, including submission guidelines and rules for eligibility are available at stopbullying.challenge.gov.
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What started out as an idea to make a small impact, exploded into the single biggest donation of school supplies ever seen by Colorado Springs, Colo.-based charity entity Christmas Unlimited, the official distributor of donations in town from the annual “Stuff the Bus” school supply drive. The donation was by the Denver Public School District’s transportation department, which this week stuffed a yellow school bus full of thousand and thousands of dollars of school supplies for students who were impacted by the Waldo Canyon Fire, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history, and others in need.
District transportation employees were also encouraged to donate $10 to help out, and held several collection events, said Nicole Portee, executive director of transportation for Denver Public Schools in an article. A big part of the donation came from the Denver-area Gap Inc. stores (Gap and Banana Republic), and many of the stores nationwide donated school supplies.
