Safety a priority for Gaston County school bus drivers
Odell Lowery first started driving a
school bus when he was 16 years old as
a tenth grader at what was then Highland
Junior-Senior High School in Gastonia.
Each afternoon, Lowery dropped off
his friends on his route, then drove home
and parked the bus. In the morning, he
was back on the road to pick up fellow
students and deliver them to school.
“Back then, all the drivers were
students,” Lowery explained, recalling that
he earned about $30 a month for the job.
“Once you got your bus license, you talked
to your principal and let them know you
were interested in driving.”
Lowery kept his fellow students
safe throughout high school. Later, he
continued driving for Gaston County
Schools in addition to a career with local
manufacturing companies. This spring,
Lowery was honored by the Gaston County
Schools Transportation Department for 40 years of safe driving.
Each day, he focuses on doing his job well. Asked about his 40-year
record, Lowery said, “I just want to make sure the students get where they
need to be.”
And he knows he can make a difference in a child’s day.
“Some of them need somebody just to speak to them, to say hello in the
morning,” Lowery said.
Gaston County Schools thanked all drivers who safely bring students to
and from school each day on the district’s 210 yellow school buses.
Paul Williams, bus transportation director, said bus drivers are to be
commended for the work they do every day, starting with pre-trip inspections
of their bus early each morning.
“Safety is our number one priority,” Williams said. “When you’re
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