Five individuals were recognized by the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT) during its Annual Conference and Trade Show (ACTS) this weekend in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for their contributions to student transportation and safety.
Adam Johnson was formally announced Sunday as winner of the NAPT Distinguished Service Award. The executive director of transportation at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina began his transportation career in 1996, driving a school bus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
He worked his way to the role of area transportation specialist at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and then became the director of transportation for Union County Schools in North Carolina. During this time, Johnson became a certified director of pupil transportation through the NAPT.
Between the years of 2013-2018, Johnson expanded his career working as a sales consultant for Gregory Poole Equipment in Mebane, North Carolina, selling Blue Bird school buses. He then moved to his current role, where he oversees a department of 1,100 employees that provides transportation services for 104,000 students.
Johnson credited his team for his accomplishments saying, “I’m not one who looks for individual spotlight, because all of my success is a result of the team I have assembled that rallies with me to get the work done each day. So, this recognition is to celebrate all of my team’s efforts to make our department shine.”
School Transportation News asked each NAPT award winner what their advice is to other student transportation professionals. Johnson encouraged creative and outside-the-box thinking. “Don’t be afraid to think differently about your daily operations and how to motivate your staff,” said Johnson “So much of this job is built on relationships and we often miss the opportunities to create positive relationships with our teams, district leaders, and local media.”
The Special Needs Transportation Award sponsored by Q’Straint and Sure-Lok was given to Cathy Poole, Area 8 special needs transportation supervisor at Greenville County Schools in South Carolina. Poole said she was honored and so surprised to receive the award. “When you love what you do, you just do it automatically without recognition,” she said. “So, when I opened the email and read the content, I was like; Wait What? I had to read it again… then I cried. I love what I do. It starts in my heart and flows out.”
Poole said that transportation and special needs were part of her daily life as the daughter of a father who is blind and a mother who drove a school bus. In 1985, he became a student driver at the age of 16. After college and starting a family, she returned to transportation as a bus driver for students with special needs and worked as classroom aide in special needs classrooms. She said this experience inspired her to pursue the role of special needs transportation supervisor.
When reflecting on the experience leading up to winning the NAPT award, Poole said she is grateful for the managers, colleagues and a “crew of wonderful coworkers, drivers and aides” that she has worked with.
“I am not going to say this is easy, things can change in the blink of an eye and stress levels rise. However, I want to make sure that all students, transportation staff and the public travel safely to and from school daily,” she said. “If your heart is not in it, then you are only going through the motions and that is unacceptable to me.”
Poole said her advice to other student transporters is to seek out education regarding best practices, policies, procedures and legal knowledge. She noted that NAPT has “outstanding” professional development courses. “Put that knowledge to use in our work environment,” said Poole. “You may get pushback but stand strong and do it for the safety of the students, parents, schools, transportation staff and public. Reach out to other transportation professionals with questions or support. The more you learn the more you grow.”
The Continuing Education Award sponsored by Thomas Built Buses was awarded on Saturday to Jennifer Gardella, director of transportation at Rockwall Independent School District in Texas. Gardella told STN that she “was filled with so many emotions when I received the email on congrats. I’m honored, I’m excited, I’m speechless to be chosen from our NAPT transportation group.”
Gardella’s entrance to the education field began as a teacher. She told STN that her love of working with students took her behind the wheel of the yellow school bus in her own hometown that was experiencing a driver shortage. She said she enjoys problem solving at whatever role she is in and actively looks for teachable moments and ways to utilize staff resources. She praised her team at Rockwall ISD, where she just started her first year as director after serving as an assistant director at Frisco ISD, saying that every member of the team works towards a common goal of providing excellent service for the students.
Gardella stressed the importance of finding a good team of individuals to build relationships and find solutions in the often-stressful field of student transportation. “Transportation is an ever-changing busy environment, and everyone needs a way to release the stress of the multi-tasking job. I know with every decision I have made I have many walking with me. It takes a village to keep the school bus rolling in the right direction.”
Danielle Bedsaul is the recipient of the School Bus Driver Training & Safety Award sponsored by IC Bus and was also recognized on Saturday As supervisor of transportation at Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) in Maryland, Bedsaul said a goal of hers has been to win a NAPT award, as her district has been recognized by the organization twice before, once in 2002 and in 2006.
“HCPS is always striving to improve our safety program for training our school bus drivers and attendants. However, we have realized that the training really needs to extend beyond our drivers and attendants,” she said. “We need to educate the students, parents, schools, and the community about the safety measures that need to take place to keep our students safe.”
Bedsaul’s entered the world of transportation in 2004, when she applied for the job of receptionist at the HCPS Transportation department.
“I’m always telling people that I thought the transportation department sounded like a boring place to work, and I genuinely thought I would take the position and then move to another department or school when another opportunity arose,” she shared. “I’m still waiting for a boring day. There are none in transportation!”
After working one year as the receptionist, Bedsaul became the district’s coordinator for special needs transportation. A year later, she was named the supervisor of transportation and has held the position for 18 years.
Bedsaul noted that drivers and attendants are transportation’s key assets as they are the ones interacting with the students every day. “My advice to other transportation professionals would be to be an active listener to your team members, drivers, attendants, schools, parents, and students. Ask them what they need to continue to enhance safety and training. Often drivers and attendants say they want “better communication”, and people often interpret that as newsletters, e-mails, memos, etc. But what they often want is someone to listen to them…really listen to them and their concerns. And we really need to do that because they are the ones out on the roads every day with our students.”
Not present during NAPT ACTS was Acie Holland III, an 8th grade student from Glendale-River Hills School District in Wisconsin, who won the Blue Bird Heroism Award after stopping his school bus safely when the bus driver experienced a medical emergency and had passed out at the wheel. The teen was able to maneuver the bus to the curb and hit the brakes, keeping the 14 students onboard the bus and the driver safe from a potential crash.
The NAPT Awards concluded Monday with the induction of Ken Hedgecock, Larry Riggsbee and Willie Tarleton into the association’s Hall of Fame.
Related: Esteemed Figures in School Transportation Awarded NAPT’s Highest Honor
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