The National Association for Pupil Transportation announced that members may begin applying for an annual Zonar scholarship to the NAPT Summit as well as three other separate programs to increase student transportation education, school bus technology and field trip study for students.
NAPT is once again partnering with Zonar Systems to award 10 scholarships for attendance to the 2012 NAPT Summit, which is scheduled for Oct. 20-25 in Memphis, Tenn. Each scholarship covers the cost of conference registration, while the recipient is responsible for all other expenses.
“I am pleased to be working for a company that understands the importance of professional organizations and the work they do,” said Don Carnahan, Zonar’s vice president of business development for pupil transportation and current president-elect of NAPT. “Zonar is committed to helping NAPT expand the range of opportunities and benefits it offers its members.”
Applications for the scholarships are available on the NAPT website and must be submitted by Sept. 14. Winners will be announced on Sept. 28.
Additionally, Zonar announced it is accepting applications for a $50,000 grant to a school district for purchasing fleet management, security and efficiency equipment. Applications will be judged based on the best proposal for how the district plans to use the company’s fleet management solutions, including the Electronic Vehicle Inspection Reporting (EVIR) system.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for one of our members to acquire what in our industry already is recognized as equipment with a track record of saving dollars and much more by improving safety, security and overall efficiency of school bus operations,” said Mike Martin, executive director of NAPT.
Applications for the technology grant can be downloaded from the NAPT website and are due Sept. 14. The winner will be selected by the NAPT board.
NAPT also renewed its call for applications for scholarships to the NAPT Summit that are endowed by Peter Lawrence, the director of transportation at Fairport (N.Y.) Central School District and an NAPT Distinguished Service Award winner, and wife Linda. The four scholarships cover conference registration only.
Applications may be downloaded from the NAPT website and are due Sept. 14 and must submit a cover letter that contains a brief statement of financial need and two letters of recommendation, which must come from the applicant’s immediate supervisor and/or school district or company administrator. NAPT said the letter should detail how the candidate’s professional capabilities and personal integrity justify receiving the scholarship. A description of why the applicant would like to receive the scholarship, what he or she hopes to achieve by attending, and how the training will further enhance the candidate’s effectiveness as a trainer, is also required.
Winners will be announced on Sept. 21.
“We have created this endowment to help give back to an industry that does noble work for students across our great nation,” said Peter Lawrence. “We hope driver trainers take advantage of the opportunity, and we are looking forward to reviewing the applications.”
Dr. Linda F. Bluth, NAPT’s immediate past-president, and partner Betsy Eisman are also again awarding $500 to school district to cover the cost of field trips. Bluth and Eisman committed to the grant in 2009 for 10 years.
The grant covers not only the cost of transportation but also entry fees, supplies and classroom resource materials “so that teachers may continue using the valuable experiential learning gained from math and science, language, social studies and arts-focused field trips.”
“We intend for this grant to provide children who might not otherwise have the opportunity with a special field trip experience,” said Bluth and Eisman in a statement. “We are also pleased to acknowledge the importance of the yellow school bus as a means of accessing invaluable learning opportunities.”
Grant recipients will be selected based on the following criteria: the description of the field trip and its objectives; benefits to students; tie-in to the school curriculum; number of students who would be impacted; and proposed use of funds. Though NAPT said the award will be discretionary, preference will be given this year to applications that serve students with disabilities attending schools in the core Appalachian states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. The applicant must be an NAPT member and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private or charter school in the U.S., having a 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt status.
A downloadable application for the Bluth-Eisman Field Trip Grant will be available on the NAPT website on or before Aug. 31 and are due by Oct. 1.
