New Bloomfield kids thank bus drivers

New Bloomfield Elementary Principal Julie Gerloff, right, commends her students after they sang "The Wheels on the Bus." Gerloff said she came up with the idea of saying thanks to the school's bus drivers after January's ice storm.
New Bloomfield Elementary Principal Julie Gerloff, right, commends her students after they sang "The Wheels on the Bus." Gerloff said she came up with the idea of saying thanks to the school's bus drivers after January's ice storm.

NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The 340 students of New Bloomfield Elementary were not deterred by the chilly weather or snow flurries Friday morning.

Instead, they were resolute in their mission to say "thank you" to their bus drivers.

At this school, the bus barn is across Redwood Drive. After safely traversing the street with the help of their trusty crossing guard, students gathered en masse with Principal Julie Gerloff to show appreciation.

Gerloff said the idea for the "thank you" event came after January's weather event.

"After the ice storm, it just stuck to me how scary it must be to drive those buses," she said. "Even then, (the drivers) always put student safety first."

Gerloff said the event was kept a secret from the bus drivers, and students practiced singing every morning at 7:45 a.m. for a week.

On the day of the big surprise, students from kindergarten all the way up to sixth grade serenaded the drivers with a rousing rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus," while their teachers offered the drivers homemade food.

Director Marvin Williams said the gifts were piled high.

"They brought all kinds of treats," he said. "A whole table full."

Louise Trammell, a bus monitor, said she was delighted by the children's display of kindness.

"I thought it was vary nice," Trammell said.