ICSD Bus Driver Honored with Longevity Award

August 22, 2016 (Independence, IA) – The Independence Community School District (ICSD) is pleased to announce that Bob Bearbower has been awarded the Longevity Service Award from the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association (IPTA).

In July, Bob and his wife Lavonne along with Kim Chesmore traveled to Des Moines to the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association yearly banquet. Here, Bob was awarded the Longevity Service Award. According to the IPTA, “The Longevity Service Award is intended to recognize a school bus driver that has performed extraordinary years of service and exemplary dedication to the community and students on behalf of their school district.”

Bob has certainly done that. He has been a bus driver for the ICSD for 50 years. He started driving for Brandon in 1962, after the Brandon High School closed he came to the ICSD in 1966. In addition to his daily morning and afternoon routes, Bob has been involved in nightly activities busing; transporting students to and from football games, basketball games and more.

Superintendent Russell Reiter states, “Bob has been very dependable and rarely misses driving his routes each day. That is a rare thing these days! And, if by chance he does have to miss for any reason, the students are concerned about him because he is always conscientious about his job.”

With no plans of retirement in the near future, Bob hopes to continue driving students for years to come. When asked what he enjoys most about driving the bus he simply replied, “I truly enjoy the kids.”

For more information on the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association (IPTA) visit their website at www.4ipta.org. For more information about the ICSD’s transportation department, please contact Kim Chesmore at 334-7435 or kchesmore@independence.k12.ia.us.