School bus contractor Student Transportation Inc. kicked off National School Bus Safety Week celebrations a few days early as it honored nearly a dozen employees with induction into the company’s second annually Safety Wall of Fame.
In addition to conducting safety demonstrations and safety meetings across North America and offering online training, STI recognized 11 “best and brightest” employees on Wednesday during an awards banquet in New York City. Senior executives joined the newly inducted Safety Wall of Fame members for the festivities, which also included a tour of New York City and lunch in the Little Italy neighborhood.
Denis Gallagher, STI’s chairman, CEO and founder, presented the awards to each employee. The company said in a statement that it plans to grow the awards program each year. Location managers and general managers nominated employees based on the following criteria: accident-free service, reliability, knowledge of company policies and procedures, community service and involvement, perfect attendance, character, attitude and exceptional performance in their respective roles.
The employees honored were:
- Penny Batherson – Barrie, Ontario
- Catherine Brutzman – Higganum, Connecticut
- James Caruso – Carlynton, Pennsylvania
- Wallace Clark – Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
- Amber Ellis – Merrimack, New Hampshire
- Veronica Mirehouse – Battle Ground, Washington
- Sarah Newman – San Jose, California
- Janice Respert – Lancaster, California
- Susan Simpson – Trenton, New Jersey
- Jacqueline Welcome – Bastrop, Texas
- Peggy Wolfe – Ledyard, Connecticut
“The Safety Wall of Fame recognizes the best and brightest of our drivers, dispatchers, monitors, mechanics, trainers and other employees,” said STI’s Chief Operating Officer Patrick Vaughan. “All of our employees know how important public trust is and they take their jobs very seriously, and we are thankful for that. Recognizing those that go above and beyond is a small token of our appreciation for their stellar efforts in helping STI transport over one million children to and from school safely.”
Playing off of the theme “At My Stop, You Stop?” — which urges motorists to heed laws prohibiting passing a stopped school bus that is loading or unloading students — STI said it is encouraging parents, school officials and the news media to respect the rules of the road.
“It’s extremely important for everyone to be mindful of the law when you’re behind or across the street from a school bus that is loading or unloading students,” noted Don Weir, STI director of passenger safety and compliance. “We as a company can do all the right things and train our staff to the highest degree, but we also need other drivers on the road to do their part and stop when the lights on the bus are flashing.”
National School Bus Safety Week is sponsored by the National Association for Pupil Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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