More than 40 school bus drivers from across Virginia competed Tuesday in the statewide school bus rodeo, held at Northside High School. The event, put on by the Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation (VAPT), tested drivers in a series of nine practical events. These involved driving and maneuvering a school bus in certain conditions and sequences in addition to laws governing school bus operation. A written test accompanied the driving events.
Drivers competed in three categories: transit bus, conventional bus and special needs bus. The 2009 statewide school bus winners were:
Transit Bus:
1st place: Tyler Reynolds – Virginia Beach City
2nd place: Jeff Long – Newport News City
3rd place: Russell Altizer – Montgomery Co.
Conventional Bus:
1st place: Jeremy Click – Accomack Co.
2nd place: Mike Burroughs – Montgomery Co.
3rd place: Peggy Wilson – Portsmouth City
Special Needs Bus:
1st place: Josh Simpkins and Judy Simpkins (asst.) – Montgomery Co.
2nd place: Karen Schoonover – Roanoke City
3rd place: Tammy Seibert and June Hartman (asst.) – Charlotte Co.
First-place winners at the statewide level in each category will move on to compete at the national school bus rodeo in Greensboro, NC in July.