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Ohio school bus drivers honor graduating seniors with creative tribute

LOVELAND, Ohio — A group of bus drivers in a Cincinnati suburb drove home their point to graduating high school seniors in a big way.

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The drivers, from the Loveland City School District, used 22 buses to form the year 2020 in a parking lot, WLWT reported. The drivers said the gesture was to honor the district’s 392 graduating seniors, who will not be able to have a normal ceremony because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“On behalf of Loveland Transportation, we salute you for achieving a very important milestone! Stand tall and be proud of yourselves,” the group of drivers said.

Special message from Loveland Schools Transportation to the Class of 2020

It’s graduation week! Here’s a special message from our bus drivers to the Class of 2020! https://www.lovelandschools.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=6GB2PYB&dasi=3IU2

Posted by Loveland City Schools on Monday, May 18, 2020

“We’re the first face they see in the morning and the last one they see before they head home,” Lisa Moorhead, a driver of 23 years who organized the event, told “Good Morning America.”

Moorhead said seven drivers took 3 1/2 hours to properly position the buses, “Today” reported. She said they were not sure they had achieved their goal until art teacher Jim Barrett flew a drone to get an aerial view.

“To us down on the ground, it looked like a maze,” Moorhead told “Today.” “When Jim Barrett ... took (the drone) up, there were tears and screams. We were so excited we’d done it.”

“Some of us have been around long enough to transport these kids since kindergarten and some of us have only been working with the district for a few years, but the one thing we all have in common is the love for our students," driver Jennifer Bloom Bowman told WLWT. “This is a huge accomplishment and any way we can show them some love, we will do it. So here’s to the class of 2020. Your bus drivers are proud of all of you.”

In addition to Moorhead and Bowman, bus drivers Michele Winter, Tara Patterson Hollandsworth, Kelli Czachor Ramsey, Lori Schultz-Stulz and Lindsay Centers helped out. WLWT reported.

“Being a school bus driver is not just a job, it’s an adventure," Winter told the television station. “The love for our students is unconditional and each one will always hold a special place in our hearts. Every story, every hug, every laugh and every tear with them are memories and sometimes even lessons. To the kids of the past, the present and the future, this is for you."