St. Regis bus driver recognized for his service to the community

ST. REGIS – Bernie Patterson has been active with the St. Regis schools for over 30 years; earlier this year, his commitment was recognized when he was awarded the You Make A Difference award.

Patterson has been a bus driver and assistant transportation director at the St. Regis schools for approximately 16 years. Before that he worked as a teacher in the schools for 25 years. He has been a big help to new and old administrators, both in helping shape transportation policy, as well as in understanding district policies.

“Having someone who knows the ins and outs of safety and the district is a real help to us,” said Steele, noting he and the superintendant were both still fairly new and learning about some parts of district policy.

Patterson has also set a high standard for the district’s bus drivers in terms of how to deal with students and parents as well as for safe driving practices. His standards are also high for the maintenance of the buses themselves as well as making sure the drivers are certified and comply with the regulations.

Patterson typically drives the district’s most difficult bus route, through the West End, taking students to remote residences and communities along a narrow, winding section of the Interstate.

Steele said Patterson takes the students’ safety very seriously while driving the routes through the West End. The principal recalled he would often go above and beyond to ensure his charges’ safety; if there were reports of bear or mountain lion activity near a stop, Patterson would drive students right to their doors, as long as there was enough room to turn around, rather than leave the kids at the designated drop-off points.

“He does a wonderful job,” said Steele. “But when it comes to safety he goes above and beyond.”

With how remote some areas can be, and the general lay of the land, other difficulties can also arise. Cell and radio signals are often problematic in the West End and there have been times where Patterson has had to wait on parents who were not at the stop to pick up their kids when the bus arrived; this has led to delays for other stops, but Steele noted Patterson would rather be late than leave a student alone at the stop.

“Despite how frustrating this can be, Bernie has always maintained a smile and pleasant word when the parents finally do arrive to pick up their children,” stated an informational release by Steele.

Patterson has also been very supportive of the students’ extra-curricular activities. Steele said he arranged later bus routes to take kids home after practices, club meetings or tutoring sessions. The principal felt Patterson was very close to the students taking a big interest in their happiness and well being.

“Bernie genuinely cares for our students and always addresses them by name and with a smile,” stated Steele, in his release. “He supports the district’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People program by nominating students who exhibit the habits. He always has a kind word for our students, whether they ride his bus or not.”