CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill.– Durham School Services (DSS), a leader in school transportation, is delighted to share that its school bus driver, Anthony Lewis, from the DSS team in Carpentersville, IL, has been honored by District 300 (D300) with their esteemed D300 Blue Ribbon Society Award. Anthony was awarded for the excellent service he provides and the significant impact he has made on the D300 community and his students. He is the first school bus driver in D300 history to receive this extraordinary award and was interviewed by local news channel CBS Chicago about receiving the award.
Anthony was presented with the award yesterday, May 24, 2022 at the D300 school board meeting and was met with extraordinary fanfare from his students and their families who gathered to celebrate and thank him. He was nominated for the award by Deb Mason, Director of Transportation for D300, after receiving countless praises from community members about Anthony’s phenomenal service and dedication.
“It was wonderful to see the outpouring of appreciation expressed for Mr. Anthony,” said Deb Mason, Director of Transportation for D300. “We have received many emails from the parents of the students on his elementary school route stating what a positive and kind person he is. The staff at the elementary school share the parents’ sentiments. Any time he is mentioned to the Principal and other staff at the school, their first response is “We love Mr. Anthony!”. He has developed quite a fan club across the district. You only need to meet Mr. Anthony once to understand what all the fuss is about.”
“Having Mr. Anthony on our team is a true honor, and he is a great influence on our team. In the year or so that he’s been with DSS, we’ve received so many glowing emails and phone calls about him that I’ve honestly lost count at this point. They have all been about his exceptional service and positive influence on the students in his care,” said Daniel Sutherland, General Manager, DSS Carpentersville. “The feedback we’ve received has not only been about his daily routes but also field trips he’s driven where he had only met students on one occasion, yet he made a lasting positive impression. Mr. Anthony goes above and beyond the call of duty for his students and community each and every time he leaves the lot. Having worked with our drivers throughout the years, we know the positive influence drivers can be in their community, so it was a significant acknowledgement to be recognized by D300.”
“I am very grateful to have been nominated and selected to receive this award,” said Mr. Anthony Lewis. “I love being a school bus driver. Being recognized as the first one to win this award is a great honor, and I hope that receiving this award will bring more attention to this profession and its importance in a community. It is an extremely rewarding job, and I enjoy it immensely. We need more school bus drivers so that kids can attend school and receive a proper education. If you are retired or simply looking for part-time work that also gives back to the community, this could be your calling.”
About Durham School Services: As an industry-leading student transportation provider, Durham School Services is dedicated to the safety of our students and People, transporting more than *one million students daily and employing approximately 20,000 drivers across North America (*Pre-COVID Figures). For more than 100 years, we have been committed to Excellence and upholding our mission of getting students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn. Through this mission and a grassroots approach to our operations, Durham School Services has earned recognition as a trusted transportation provider among our Customers and the Communities we serve.
