The nugget., June 16, 2021, Page 21, Image 21

Wednesday, June 16, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
AST: Driver had
big impact on
children9s lives
Continued from page 3
lot of different situations with
kids.
<I remember, early on,
pulling up to a bus stop and
two brothers were fighting
tooth and nail and I thought
to myself, 8What am I getting
into?9=
She also remembers being
caught off guard when some
high school students stepped
onto the bus in the morning
cradling babies wrapped up
in blankets. <I didn9t know
what to do because I didn9t
think babies could ride on the
bus,= she said. <It turned out
the kids were in a child devel-
opment class and the 8babies9
were life-size models,= she
said.
Ast reflected on the many
trips she drove for, including
outdoor school, the fourth-
grade <Oregon Trail= field
trip, every sport 4 including
rooter buses, IEE and ECOS
ventures, band trips to Reno,
Hoodoo ski excursions, and
trips to Fred Hutch Cancer
Institute in Seattle. Once she
and her fellow bus driver and
dear friend Kathy Levine flew
to Georgia where Blue Bird
buses are manufactured and
each of them drove a brand
new bus all the way back to
Sisters.
<We had a great time
doing that,= she said.
<The training is pretty
extensive for becoming a bus
driver and I remember being
taught that bus drivers are the
first people many kids see to
start their school day and that
it makes a big difference to
their day when the bus driver
knows them, greets them, and
interacts with them,= Ast said.
Ast made a point of going
the extra mile at times with
kids.
<We had homework club
on the bus at times,= she said.
<I had pencils and paper and
would get older kids to help
younger kids. I explained to
the kids that if they could get
some of it done before they
even got home they would
have more time for some fun.=
When she drove on sports
outings and field trips Ast
would engage with what was
happening.
<The kids liked it that I
would be interested in what
they were doing and I became
more than just the bus driver,=
she said.
The most noticeable
change she has seen in
students over the past years
is the use of cell phones and
other technology.
<I am concerned that kids
don9t ever really disconnect
from the screens 4 they are
occupied every second,= she
said. <I think that life for kids
and adults was much simpler
when I first began driving.
Everyone seems to be in a
rush nowadays.=
Despite the changes, Ast
insists she fully enjoyed her
job all the way through her
career.
<Being in a small town
you really do get the chance
to know a lot of people,= she
said. <I feel very lucky to
have made friends with so
many parents, students, and
school staff members. Many
of them I consider as close as
family.=
Ryan Stock, the transpor-
tation supervisor for the past
few years said, <Teri9s career
operating a school bus for
the last 26 years has been
a wonderful experience for
Sisters families and schools.
She cares for the students
and looks out for their safety
everyday.=
It goes beyond just being a
good driver.
<She shows children com-
passion and kindness with the
patience found in a mother9s
love,= Stock said. <This has
given us and our parents
peace of mind. Teri is truly
a priceless gift for our com-
munity. So many of us have
shared heartfelt experiences
of laughter, hope, and inspi-
ration with her 4 she has
enriched our lives.=
He concluded, <Teri9s next
trip is taking the only fork
in the road she has not trav-
eled yet, retirement. We wish
her only the best on her next
journey.=
Ast is grateful for the many
years she got to serve the
school district. <The district
has been very good to me,=
she said. <I love the people
I have gotten to know here.=
<Anyone who knows Teri
understands she is a worker
and someone ready to help,=
said one staff member.
She is very active.
<I never sit around long,=
21
she said.
Life-skills teacher and
coach Josh Nordell got emo-
tional when asked to com-
ment on Ast9s retirement.
<She has been a real con-
stant and supportive compan-
ion to me and my programs,=
he said. <Her willingness and
ability to jump in and help
with anything is amazing. It9s
hard for me to imagine not
spending afternoons with her.
I am going to miss her more
than I can really express.=
Ast clearly intends to keep
on helping. She plans to vol-
unteer, perhaps with Habitat
for Humanity, the Kiwanis
Food Bank, and the commu-
nity garden. She also intends
to travel, whether by plane,
car, or bicycle.
<And, I won9t have to get
up at five in the morning if I
don9t want to,= she said with
a smile.
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