A breakfast was held in the cafeteria to recognize school bus drivers. These drivers are responsible for transporting hundreds of students to and from school, twice a day, every day.  

“[The best part of my job] is making sure the kids get home safely,” bus driver Angela Merges said. “I love teens… they keep me young, they keep me happy”.  

She became a school bus driver so that she would be able to spend time with her family while also earning money and has been doing the job for 30 years.  

The breakfast was held to recognize the role that bus drivers play in the school system.  

Merges was just one of several drivers attending the breakfast. Jacqueline Eberhart has worked with the school since 1984, first serving on the School Advisory Committee (SAC) and began driving buses in 1986. She has always liked children and wanted to be involved with them somehow. To this day, the kids are her favorite part of the job. 

“[The best part is] the children… They keep me youthful, they’re fun, and they make it exciting for me,” Eberhart said. “[The breakfast] lets me know someone appreciates what we do besides the kids”. 

These drivers, along with several others, attended the breakfast. 

More than 900 school buses are used throughout Hillsborough County to transport over 90,000 students to and from school. The county’s school bus fleet is also in the middle of a large program to reduce the number of older buses in use, after concerns were raised over the possibility of mechanical failure.  

“I think it was a good thing that they were recognized,” sophomore Lily Moran said. “Being a bus driver is a severely underrated profession and it is tough”. 

Several bus drivers and some administration members, including Principal Bush, were present at the breakfast, which occurred on Aug. 22..