By JONATHAN ROWE

Washington Daily News

 

Thursday, Eastern Elementary students were treated to “Love the Bus” an interactive program, a robotic bus and cake, all to promote bus safety and celebrate the school’s bus drivers.

“‘Love the Bus’ is a statewide program to express thanks to drivers for what they do,” said Jerry Wynne, director of transportation for Beaufort County Schools.

According to Wynne, various school agencies participated in the program that was started about 5 years ago.

The robotic bus — named “Buster” — made an appearance in the parking lot of Eastern Elementary, to teach students about proper bus safety and rules.

During the program, Wynne, with the help of Buster, explained basic safety instructions to students, from proper conduct at the bus stop to following rules once students have safely boarded the bus.

“We try to make it interactive during the training,” Wynne said. “They (the students) fall in love with Buster. They want to take him home.”

Buster was presented to Beaufort County through a North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program grant and is shared with surrounding counties, including Pitt, Martin, Washington and Hyde counties.

“We teach them to be at the bus stop at the appropriate time, not to move until the bus has stopped and the stop sign is deployed and to sit down and face forward quietly when riding the bus,” Wynne said.

Students who have exercised proper bus safety and behavior, along with bus drivers and administrators, were invited to meet Buster. Students also presented handmade awards — the work of Ms. Hannah Tubaugh’s art class — to bus drivers.

Wynne explained that “Love the Bus” is an extension of a bus safety program held in October for all students, Pre-K through second grade.