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Henning bus drivers have caring attitudes
Published 12:00pm Tuesday, September 29, 2009Kids in the Henning area are chauffeured to and from school with a personal touch by, in the words of Principal Thomas Williams, “true gentlemen such as Orly Bjerketvedt and Wayne Guse.”
Bjerketvedt has 31 years of service as a school bus driver in Henning and Guse has 23 years of service.
“Orly, Wayne and our other bus drivers are part of a group that makes great connections with our students,” said Williams. “I rarely have transportation issues with our students because these drivers know how to work with kids.”
Williams said the school bus drivers know every student by name and, more than likely, know their parents as well.
“Our kids respect the bus drivers and make their job satisfying,” he said. “That’s why they continue with our school for so many years.”
Williams said that when students have to get on a bus at possibly 6:45 or 7 a.m. their parents know they’re in goods hands, and their safety comes first.
“This is another positive for why small-town schools across Minnesota are a great place for kids to be,” said Williams.
Dave Arndt is head of the school bus operations in Henning in addition to his duties as head custodian. He has seven full-time bus drivers and five substitutes. The Henning school district funds and operates the school bus service.
“I have a great group of drivers,” said Arndt. “Safety is number one. We have safety training for the students, covering things such as how to evacuate the bus during emergencies.”
Every year, said Arndt, there are bus inspections. The Henning school district also strictly adheres to school bus regulations established by the State of Minnesota. School bus drivers in Henning also take advantage of bus safety training opportunities.
For their part, Bjerketvedt and Guse say they enjoy the interaction with kids, parents, teachers and staff at the Henning public school.
Twenty-three million students nationwide ride a school bus to and from school each day. The familiar yellow school bus is one of the most common motor vehicles on the road. It’s also the safest.
School buses manufactured after Jan. 1, 1977, must meet more federal motor vehicle safety standards than any other type of motor vehicle. During normal school transportation hours over the past 10 years, school buses are 87 times safer than passenger cars, light trucks, and vans, according to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
