Smoky Lake bus driver one of the best

A Smoky Lake area bus driver is always on time, engages with the students on their projects, and is a kind face for the kids as they go to school. 

That’s why Gerald Babichuk was presented with the 2021-22 Board of Trustees Bus Driver of the Year Award, during the Aspen View Public Schools 2022 Staff Awards and Recognition Night, held at the Thorhild & District Community Hall on May 6. 

The award began in 2018 to recognize a bus driver who quietly have one of the most important jobs in the school district. 

Babichuk was nominated for the award by Evonne Zukiwski on behalf of her son Chase, a Grade 2 student at H.A. Kostash School in Smoky Lake. 

“We have only had Mr. Babichuk as a driver for a year and a half, but it is easy to see why everyone loves him as a bus driver,” the nomination read in the press release. 

“Chase would always say that while they were waiting to leave school, he and his friends and classmates would show Mr. Babichuk their projects from school, and he would always ask them questions. It seems like such a small gesture, but to those 6-year-olds, they were excited to see the person who their parents trusted enough to get them safely to and from school. 

“No matter the weather, Mr. Babichuk is on time – I’m sure world clocks could be set by his punctuality,” the nomination continued. “Mr. Babichuk is such a kind man, and after driving for 47 years, I think that commitment is something to be celebrated.”

With files from Aspen View Schools.