Every day, Waterloo Central School District Transportation Department employees travel hundreds of miles, but their routes always begin and end with students.
This year, thanks to their dedication, three Waterloo School-Related Professionals landed top honors from the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, with Rick Leisenring being named Bus Driver of the Year and Armin Winters and Maryann Bennett, Bus Driver/Attendant Team of the Year.
Leisenring, who is a member of the Waterloo Non-Instructional Employees Association, has been working for the district for 37 years. Known lovingly to his students as Cowboy Rick, Leisenring is a respected horse trainer and competitive team roper and immediately recognizable by the ten-gallon hat he always sports. He transports high school students to and from school and also makes runs to the Finger Lakes Technical and Career Center. “I was surprised I won this award. There’s a lot of good bus drivers out there, so to be selected was amazing,” Leisenring said.
Student safety is Leisenring’s top concern, and it underpins every decision he makes on the bus. “You have to have cooperation from the students so you can focus on keeping them safe,” Leisenring said. “When you finally get the kids’ attention, and you get them working together, then the whole attitude of the bus changes.”
Over the years, Leisenring has learned that patience is the key to success — patience and a knack for shutting down misbehavior before it snowballs.
“Consistency is the biggest thing. You have to be stern, but you also have to be fair,” said Leisenring. Students appreciate his directness almost as much as they appreciate the snacks he brings for special occasions. “I bring them ice cream for special treats, and I get them pizza to celebrate Christmas or the end of the year. They really like that. They remember it.”
Caption: From left, Armin Winters and Maryann Bennett receive the Bus Driver/Attendant Team of the Year award from NYAPT President Marc Medina. Winters and Bennett are members of the Waterloo Non-Instructional Employees Association. Photo credit: Provided.
Winters and Bennett, also both members of the Waterloo Non-Instructional EA, have been working together transporting students with special needs to out-of-district placements for years, and they share the belief that all students have gifts to share.
“You know, you might think what I’d be most interested in was under the hood, but actually, it’s the kids. It turns out that’s what’s in my heart,” said Winters.
Winters, who had a successful career in chemical sales prior to joining the transportation department in 2013, said the Waterloo students have become like family to him. “I enjoy it. I get to be a grandfather to a lot of kids,” he said. “Sometimes you see them get on the bus in the morning, and you can tell it’s been a rough night. I always try to redirect them and get them to focus on something positive.”
Bennett also takes special pride in setting a positive tone for each student’s school day. “We want to make sure they have a great start to their day,” Bennett said. “It’s really fun to be the first person they see, and, in the afternoon, you get to hear all about their day,” she said. Prior to this position, Bennett was a childcare provider.
“You make that bond with each one of the kids, and that’s the special part of it,” Bennett said.
Winters and Bennett drive roughly 180 miles a day together, and Winters said their success depends on effective teamwork and good communication. “An attendant and a driver team, it’s almost like a marriage. You have to learn to work together. I think we’ve become close because we see kids the same way,” Winters said.
“Armin is fantastic. He makes it all about the kids,” Bennett said.
The NYAPT awards are not the first time the Waterloo transportation department has been recognized for its excellence; in 2024, the department was named one of six top transportation teams in the nation by Transfinder Corp.