Freedom Area School District’s bus drivers are some of the most forgotten heroes of an average FHS student’s school day. Without the bus drivers, many of the students would be unable to attend because they wouldn’t have a ride to school. Most students get on and off of the bus without acknowledging the people who make student safety their first priority, the bus drivers.

These bus drivers are the people who drive us through snow, get up earlier than most of students can claim they do and take on the challenge of driving 20 or more students around. This is a very large responsibility and we often look past them. Driving a giant bus with a bunch of loud, cranky or crazy teenagers doesn’t seem like the easiest job in the world.

“I became a bus driver because they were doing training for the staff, and doing the job gave me a newfound appreciation for them. It is hard to multitask driving and making sure the kids are OK,” Principal William Deal said.

Some of our bus drivers have been driving us around since we learned our ABCs, and some have had their Commercial drivers license or CDL for decades.

“I have watched some of them grow since kindergarten up through their high school years,” George “Skip” Hascal said.

Other than on Bus Driver Appreciation Day, which takes place on Oct. 22, bus drivers are often overlooked. They do everything in their power to ensure our safety and put up with our antics all while driving a bus.

Michael Hope, vice president of Rhodes Transit, explained that there is more to being a bus driver than just driving the vehicle.

“It is a difficult job, there is a lot of things you have to be doing as the driver. It is hard to be watching the road and watching the students to make sure they are safe,” Hope said. It is the little things that you do for them that make a big difference to them.

“When the kids acknowledge me and say, ‘Thank you, that is a huge thing for me. It lets me know that they appreciate me getting them home safely,” Hope said.

Next time you are rushing off the bus, make sure to give these hidden heroes a big smile and thank them.