Peace River School Division (PRSD) warmly congratulates Zdenka Hansen, PRSD spare school bus driver and Transportation/Maintenance Shop Support Worker for being selected as PRSD's 2020 Transportation Award of Excellence recipient. The annual award celebrates the dedication and commitment of transportation staff.
"I am overwhelmed and grateful to be nominated for this award" says Zdenka. "I like everything about my job especially seeing the kids. I enjoy working with my co-workers, I feel supported by others and the atmosphere is very positive. I decided to start driving bus as I was a stay-at-home mom and I could take my children on the bus with me - I love my job."
Zdenka has worked with PRSD for seven years serving as a spare school bus driver in the Peace River region and also provides support at the PRSD Transportation Office.
During the month of June, the PRSD Transportation Department asked the public to weigh in on who they felt was deserving of the award through online submissions. A total of eight nominations were received with Zdenka being the employee with the highest amount of nominations received.
Some of the comments from nominations include:
"Zdenka finds unique ways to support students by being a spare driver that we can count on for almost every run."
"She knows the names of many of the students on my bus and has only driven a few times."
"She cares about and respects each individual student. She makes sure the kids are safe and my kids get excited when they know she is covering for me."
"She is always giving 100% to her job. She keeps the shop clean, she helps drivers out by washing, fueling and moving buses."
"As a spare driver, she deals with everyone's kids. I think that is pretty amazing. She treats my kids as if they were her own route."
"She works hard in the shop, on the bus and with her friends and family. She loves her job and students, and sets the bar pretty high, plus she bakes for everyone."
"On behalf of the board of trustees, I am thrilled to congratulate Zdenka for being nominated and selected for this important award" says PRSD Board Chair Darren Kuester. "We extend our gratitude to her for her important contributions to students, colleagues and the division as a whole."
Zdenka was presented with the award during a special ceremony with colleagues and transportation management staff in August. Superintendent Paul Bennett and Support Services Director John Przybylski presented Zdenka with the award and John shared commentary from nominations received regarding Zdenka's contributions.
