Goddard Middle School

The USD 265 Goddard Public Schools Transportation team has a lot to be proud of this summer! They participated in the Kansas State Pupil Transportation Association’s (KSPTA) annual School Transportation Safety Conference & State Driving Competition and placed a total of 13 times in seven categories. The statewide driving competition was held on Wednesday, June 5th, at Derby High School, followed by educational workshops on June 6th and 7th at the Drury Plaza Hotel in Wichita, KS. The KSPTA was formed in 1970 by transportation professionals for transportation professionals, to enhance and ensure the safety of students transported via school bus in the state of Kansas. The primary function of this organization is to support education in Kansas through safe and effective pupil transportation services. 


The 54th annual conference included school transportation teams from all across the state, who competed as “rookies” (having never competed in this competition before) or “experienced” drivers (having competed in this competition before). Categories of competition included: conventional bus, mini bus, transit bus, and team efforts. In the conventional rookie category, Goddard’s Nina Gracy earned 3rd place, and Amanda Yelverton earned 5th. In the conventional experienced category, Tammy Stephenson from Goddard earned 16th place. “This competition helps us all build such strong bonds, not just with our coworkers, but with other transportation professionals as well,” shared Gracy. “It’s just such a valuable experience.”


The driving competition includes various obstacles and tests including: parallel parking, curbside parking, backing up and turning within tight spaces, stops, clearing obstacles and correctly conducting pre-trip inspections. USD 265 Transportation took 4th (William Glander) and 6th place (Kiana Dowell) in the mini rookie category, and snagged 6th (Kelly Clark) as well as 8th (Erick Matthews) place in the mini experienced category. “Experience and unity play a big part in keeping this team strong,” explained Clark. “It makes you a better driver overall,” added Glander. “I’m not just a mechanic, I’m part of this team, and I love that.”


In the transit rookie category, Goddard’s Kasi Graves took 3rd place. In transit experienced, Taunya Terhune snagged 4th place and Kristy Evers took 2nd place - scoring the highest of all USD 265 drivers in any category. “This helps us build trust and confidence in our team, which strengthens our sense of camaraderie,” shared Evers. “Those little things are our reasons to keep coming back.”

Following the driving competition, a written test was held which evaluated drivers on rules of the roadway specific to bus and van driving, symbology of road signage, and proper conduct regarding vehicle entrances, emergency procedures and evacuation protocol. The remainder of the conference consisted of both keynote and breakout sessions covering a wide variety of topics including: verbal and non-verbal indicators of violence and de-escalation techniques, how to be a better team member, identification training for various weapons and drugs, proper documentation lessons learned, prepping for school bus inspections, how to handle bullying on the school bus and more. Goddard’s Transportation Department secured 1st place on the Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) online safety test, showcasing the commitment to safety and excellence.


“It’s professional development for us drivers,” said Terhune. “For those of us that have been doing this for years, I can say that events like this are valuable in fine-tuning our skills and team-building with each other.” USD 265 placed not once or twice, but three times in the team driving category at state, taking 3rd, 5th AND 7th place! The state competition was preceded by a regional contest, held at Northwest High School in Wichita, KS, during which drivers were tested on all types of various driving abilities and tactical maneuvers. USD 265 drivers and staff brought back an impressive 12 recognitions from regionals, ranging across six categories, with 10 that brought home trophies: Ryan Bussman (2nd place, transit rookie), Kelly Clark (4th place, mini experienced), Kristy Evers (1st place, transit experienced), William Glander (1st place, mini rookie), Nina Gracy (1st place, conventional rookie), Kasi Graves (3rd place, transit rookie), Erick Mathews (2nd place, mini experienced), Sierra Ralstin (1st place, transit rookie), Taunya Terhune (2nd place, transit experienced), and Amanda Yelverton (3rd place, conventional rookie).

Kelly Clark shared enthusiasm on behalf of the entire USD 265 Transportation team. “Needless to say, we’re excited to return for next year’s competitions and are always hopeful that our Goddard Public Schools community will come cheer us on!”

USD 265 Transportation Staff Who Competed as Drivers: Kelly Clark, Taunya Terhune, Ryan Bussman, Kasi Graves, Kristy Evers, Sierra Ralstin, Nina Gracy, William Glander, Erik Matthews, Amanda Yelverton & Jessica Lane

USD 265 Transportation Staff Who Participated as Judges: Skiler Titus, Gage Ralstin, Sam Becker & Kiana Dowell