MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Special needs school bus driver Nora Pacifico has been named the 2024 Monongalia County Schools Service Person of the Year.
After driving a bus for more than 20 years, Pacifico said she was completely humbled, and she accepted the award for each hardworking team member that has a hand in getting students to and from school safely.
“I like to think I’m every bus driver, I’m every transportation aid, I’m every mechanic, I’m every secretary, and I’m every supervisor who works at Monongalia County Schools Transportation Department,” Pacifico said.
Pacifico also lends a hand in training drivers and puts a lot of her personal feelings into that effort. She said the bonds she has with her children and grandchildren quickly extend to the “school family” of special needs students she interacts with daily. Providing insight into that personal connection, she believes bus drivers are more than someone just sitting behind the wheel, opening and closing the door.
“I do training for the county, and when I do that, I tell my students they are not only transporting children, but as a grandmother, I know how important it is that you’re transporting someone’s grandchild, and it’s our job to keep them safe,” Pacifico said.
She said being honored for something she loves to do was the furthest thing from her mind. Above all, she thanked the students and their families for the memories and life experiences they had along the way.
“I drive special needs students, so they become my kids,” Pacifico said. “I look for their achievements, I go to their graduations, I go to their games, and things like that—these kids become our kids.”
Twenty-two years ago, Pacifico didn’t drive much, in fact, she would not drive in winter conditions. But Pacifico took the “leap” and began learning to drive a bus when it became a necessity for the church and her family.
“My husband was pastoring a church, and the church had a bus in the backyard, and no one wanted to drive it because they knew they were going to have to take children to camps,” Pacifico said. “Well, we’re supplying four of those children, so I thought, OK, I’ll learn how to drive the bus.”
Pacifico’s daughter is also a special needs bus driver for the district and got her mom into the specialized field. Nora started as a conventional bus driver and reluctantly switched to special needs after several conversations with her daughter.
“I adore my children, but my grandchildren are the best, and that’s how I feel about driving the bus,” Pacifico said. “I love driving a conventional bus, those are my kids, but on this special needs bus, these are my grandkids, and I adore them.”
Pacifico will be recognized at the Monongalia County Schools Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, May 23 at 6 p.m.