Bus drivers honored

Craig Richards/THG

The Hammonton Transportation Department held a luncheon celebrating the crew for their service to the district.

HAMMONTON—On February 21, the Hammonton Transportation Department focused on bus drivers, aides and staff. A luncheon at the facility was provided for the crew in appreciation of their service.

When the Department of Education sent an email, Toni Mazza, Transportation Supervisor, conceived an idea for the town’s show of appreciation. During the event she explained that she began to organize an event, quickly complementing the efforts of the board and administration, “It’s not possible without other people,” explaining the support and

encouragement she received from the board and administration.

“Today is a time of getting everybody together and celebrating what the drivers and the aides do on a daily basis that doesn’t go unnoticed, but could feel like it goes unnoticed at times. The Department of Education dedicated a month to all the drivers and aides across the state called Love Your Bus Month. So, we figured we’d take advantage of it. We got shirts, food, and the board and administration have been awesome. This is the best board that we’ve had to date. And they have just kicked in and helped us tremendously, its a joint effort to recognize their hard work,” Mazza said.

For the drivers themselves Mazza feels the recognition is appreciated by those being acknowledged.

“I think they’re getting recognized for something that they do every day. No matter what kind of weather, no matter what kind of situation, they come in every day. They work their extremely hard. They’re here at 5.30 in the morning. They’re here till 5.30 at night; the first ones in the district, last ones to leave the district, first one to greet the kids, last one to say good night to the kids. It’s important that they’re recognized for what they do,” Mazza said.

Several board members and Hammonton Superintendent Thomas Ramsay were in attendance. Those at the luncheon unilaterally shared their respect and appreciation of the work being done.

“Today’s an extremely important day to show our appreciation for the hard work of all the members of our transportation department. They get our students to and from school each and every day safely. Their efforts and hard work do not go unnoticed. The bus drivers are such an important component to the school district. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do each and every day without them. They’re an intricate part for us operating our school system,” Ramsay said.

“We’re so happy to celebrate our bus drivers, assistance and our bus manager, Toni Mazza. These are wonderful people who keep our children safe every day. They get them to school. They get them home. And that is our number one priority, keeping kids safe. And these are the people, the face of our community, the bus drivers who are entrusted with the safety of our children. And we appreciate them so much for keeping them safe every day,” Board of Education member Kelli Fallon said.

“I think today is special because it’s so great to recognize people that do such a great job. We’re very, very pleased with their ability and how they handle the safety and the transportation in our district—kudos to them. And this is a day where we focus on a lot of people who often go unrecognized. We’re very happy to recognize them for the job that they do,” Board of Education member Barbara Berenato said.

“This is a special event for us because so many times perhaps bus drivers, bus aides, do not get enough recognition on a daily basis. They provide a wealth of service to us. They are the people that are getting our kids to school and back home every single day. They are there whether it be just a normal day, extracurricular activities, whether its snowing, raining, or icy. These folks are out in the weather, warming their buses up, clearing snow off, clearing ice off of their windshields and sometimes facing dangerous weather—they are heroes. They’re the ones that get our kids here safely every day. This is a very small token of appreciation and we’re happy that we can do this for our staff,” Board of Education Vice President Luke Coia said.

“We love our bus drivers. We entrust the lives of our children to our bus drivers and I think they do a great job. It can feel like a thankless job. You’ve got to deal with inconsiderate, impatience motorists at time, various weather conditions, and several challenges throughout the day. It’s hard to keep bus drivers nationwide so we are thankful for this team. I just feel comfortable with our own people, mostly from Hammonton; people that we grew up with. I trust them. We put the lives of our children in their hands and I think they do a fantastic job,” Board of Education member Ray Scipione said.

True to their dedication, the crew finished lunch and immediately prepared to head out on the road to return students home for the weekend.