by Kate Evans
Morgan County school bus driver Stephen McDoniel was chosen as the Service Personnel of the Year at the April 1 school board meeting. McDoniel said that it’s his second full year as a Morgan County Schools bus driver. He started as a substitute driver.
McDoniel retired from the Fort Belvoir Fire Department in Fairfax County, Virginia after 26 years as a career firefighter. He was also a volunteer firefighter. McDoniel saw a sign that Morgan County was looking for bus drivers and decided to apply.
McDoniel spent his whole life in public service and he said that driving a school bus is a public service for students and their families. McDoniel noted that it gives him something to do in his retirement.
Like one big family
McDoniel runs the Paw Paw Schools route all by himself. He said he grew up riding three different school buses — elementary, middle school and high school. In West Virginia all the kids ride the same bus.
“It’s like one big family,” he said.
Being a bus driver for the schools is mostly about getting kids to and from school safely, McDoniel said. But there are opportunities to talk with kids and teach them life skills and choices.
McDoniel said his favorite thing about driving a school bus is the children. He enjoys being with the kids.
“You’re the first face other than their parents that they see in the morning,” he said.
McDoniel hopes that his interaction with kids on the bus starts them off on a good day. McDoniel has also been a youth baseball and football coach, too.
Of the need for bus drivers, McDoniel said that bus drivers come from all walks of life. They are retirees and homemakers and often have full-time jobs, too, or run their own business. Being a school bus drivers requires dedication and takes a different kind of personality. It’s a great opportunity for people with school-age kids.
“Bus drivers are a great group of people,” he noted. They enjoy their interactions with kids and hearing about their birthdays coming up. You can see the smiles on the children’s faces and you have to have patience, McDoniel said.
McDoniel said he enjoys traveling and shopping. He has been to almost every state in the United States to see what’s out there. McDoniel said that he’s a big history guy and that he loves seeing where things come from. He’s enjoyed going on the Dino-Walk at Luck Stone Quarry in Culpepper, Virginia, where the largest collection of dinosaur tracks in North America can be found.
Director’s comments
Morgan County Schools Transportation Director Tammy Painter had this to say about McDoniel as a bus driver and his award:
“Stephen McDoniel has been a wonderful addition to the transportation department. His dedication as a bus operator to the students, staff and parents of Morgan County and Paw Paw is what makes him so deserving of this award.”
