Transporting students across generations, bus driver says “Every week is Bus Safety Week!”

This week Oct. 20 to 24 is National School Bus Safety Week! This year’s theme is Safety First — Safety Always!

Our transportation staff in Bellingham Public Schools does amazing work every single school day to drive our students to and from school safely and efficiently. They are the first staff that students see in the morning and the last staff they see at the end of the school day. It’s no surprise then that bus drivers are much loved and appreciated by students and families alike.

One snip of unsolicited bus driver appreciation came in recently. The kudos were shared by Wade King Elementary School parent Hillary Vaughn for long-time BPS bus driver Stacie Michaelson. Hillary shared the following in an email to her Wade King principal Courtney Ross Webb:

“It feels like pure serendipity that my childhood bus driver Stacie Michaelson is now my son’s bus driver. I first heard from a neighbor that my son would be riding Bus 31 and how much he’d love it because the driver was so wonderful. When I heard the driver’s name was Stacie, I couldn’t help but think, what are the chances it’s the same Stacie who drove me to school all those years ago? Sure enough, it was!

What makes it even more special is that Stacie has continued driving for different schools over the years, including mine 25 years ago (Alderwood Elementary), my son’s (Wade King) right now, and even my brother-in-law Brandon Weeda’s 20 years ago (Silver Beach), connecting all of us in such an unexpected way.

Stacie still takes the time to get to know every student, their younger siblings, and even the family pets at each stop. Her kindness shines through in everything she does, whether it’s greeting the kids each morning or stopping to say hello when you see her around town.

It’s amazing that Bus 31 and Stacie have carried so many students, schools and generations, creating a legacy of warmth and community. She truly is the greatest and such an incredible person we get to see each school day.”

In her response back to Hillary, Ross Webb wrote “Thanks for writing this email. I cannot agree more. Stacie is fantastic. She not only knows our kids, she advocates and cares above and beyond. We are incredibly grateful she is with us."

Stacie received a Certificate of Recognition from the school this fall for being “caring, principled and safe.”

Meeting Stacie before her afternoon run from Wade King, the first thing she said to us quite passionately was, “Just so you know, every week is bus safety week!”

Driving a school bus for 36 years has given her lots of thoughts on connecting with kids and families and for keeping them safe while they are in her care.

“When people ask me if it's hard to drive a school bus my answer is always the same,” she said. "No, driving the bus is the easy part; the hard part is teaching the students how and why following the bus rules is so important."

“Once they understand how important it is, the rest of the job is so much easier.”

One key to her longevity is the joy in seeing the kids become more confident as they move through the school years.

“One part of the job that never gets old,” she said, “is seeing a formerly timid kindergarten student strut up the stairs, say hello to me by name, and go directly to their seat rather than shyly climb the stairs and slowly decide what to do next.”

Stacie also loves the community connection bus driving fosters. “Another rewarding part of the job for me,” she said, “is when I see a current or former student or parent in public somewhere and they stop to say hello and chat for a few minutes.”

"When I started driving in 1989, it never occurred to me that someday I would have the pleasure of having a former student's child on my route."

Kudos to the whole transportation program

While the small world quality of this story about Stacie driving across the generations might be unique, stories of bus driver appreciation are not uncommon.

Transportation director Cindy Dennis shared that the BPS transportation program has a fleet of 78 buses running 60 different routes every day; drivers transport approximately 4,000 students daily, covering nearly 93 square miles around Bellingham.

Each of our drivers see nearly 150 students every single school day. These are key staff positions important to the overall experience in Bellingham Public Schools.

Speaking to Bus Safety Week, Dennis would like the community to know that every staff member attends annual trainings before the start of every school year and also attends several hours of professional development on early dismissal days.

“We focus on how to engage with students safely and respectfully," Dennis said, "as well as on defensive driving techniques and other hot topics as they arise."

As to the safety of the buses, she is proud to share that a stellar shop crew keeps the vehicles in top shape.

“We have a full-service shop that does regular preventative maintenance on our buses along with all needed repairs,” she says. “The fleet is inspected twice a year by Washington State Patrol, and we have over 30 years of Excellent Inspection Awards,” she continued.