Drivers Take Second Place in Annual Macomb County Bus Rodeo

At the annual Macomb County Bus Roadeo June 7, the L’Anse Creuse Public Schools team of Holly Stouder, Judy Mielnicki and Cindy Newsome took second place among 12 teams competing.  Mielnicki’s score of 503 out of a possible 550 netted her second place in the individual category, and she will compete at the State School Bus Driving Championship June 19 in Grand Ledge, Mich.
 The annual bus roadeo held on the grounds of the Macomb Intermediate School District features 11 events.  Each individual’s score is added to form the team’s score.  Drivers must parallel park between barriers, turn right and left around cones, do a child pick-up and describe all necessary safety steps, perform a railroad crossing stop and describe all necessary safety steps, pull into a curb within 3 inches, etc.  The bus must be moving continuously or else we get five demerits, said Mielnicki, who has been competing for nine years.  The driving test takes about 12-15 minutes.  Mielnicki, who drove bus routes for L’Anse Creuse High School-North, L’Anse Creuse Middle School-North and Atwood Elementary School this year, said that the state competition will be difficult.  “You have to know the engine, so I need a refresher course on that, she stated.  The top four finishers in each county compete at the state level.  From Macomb County, they are Fraser Public Schools, L’Anse Creuse Public Schools, Chippewa Valley Schools and Utica Community Schools.
 The competition results provide proof of the high quality L’Anse Creuse Public Schools’ transportation team, said Darryl Dettloff, supervisor for transportation.  The expectations are high and our drivers are driven to meet that mark.