Novi's Lollo A Finalist For Bus Driver Of The Year

NOVI, MI — A Novi Community School District worker is a finalist for Michigan’s school bus driver of the year. Jesse Lollo has been driving Novi students for three years and had a positive impact, first as a substitute and now as a full-timer, according to district officials.

“When he did do a run again the students would comment on how much they liked him and they were glad he was driving if their regular driver was gone,” said Cindy Valentine, director of transportation. “Once Jesse became a full-time driver with his own run the compliments poured in.”

The Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation has strict standards for its nominees. To be considered for the award, drivers must be a MAPT member, have no points on their driving record, and haven’t previously won the award. Loollo and other finalists were recognized at a banquet held Wednesday at the Lansing Convention Center.

The 64-year-old never worked as a teacher prior to driving school children. But he now firmly believes his school bus is an extension of the classroom.

“I am the first person they see in the morning and the last contact they have at the end of the day,” Lollo said. “So my impression has to be positive, professional and impactful.”

A retired restaurant and property management owner, he ran a Burger King franchise for 40 years. Lollo sold his interests in seven properties throughout Wayne and Oakland counties, before deciding to become a substitute driver.

“I was taking my daughter to school one day and saw the sign ‘Now Hiring School Bus Drivers.’” said Lollo, who lives in the subdivision behind Novi’s Parkview Elementary School. “At a back-to-school meeting the superintendent (Dr. Steve Matthews) said that we were to treat the school bus as our classroom. It was at that moment the light went off in my head and I knew exactly what my job as a school bus driver was going to be.”

As a sub driver, Lollo familiarized himself with each route he was assigned while trying to learn the students’ names in case he would see them again. It wasn’t long before he moved to a full-time route, and now he’s widely considered to be among the best drivers the district has ever employed.

Lollo has built a great rapport with young and older students alike, learning their names and developing age-appropriate trivia to share during rides to and from school. He even established a Wall of Achievement on his bus to praise students for doing good things.

“Instead of numbers for the rows he has math flash cards where the answers are the row numbers,” Valentine said. “He starts the year with simple addition and as the year progresses the cards change. The younger students love learning math with the row numbers and his older students love the trivia, and just talking to Mr. Jesse.”

Lollo’s innovations have rubbed off on his peers who started their own brand of trivia and puzzle games on their buses.

“Now we have several drivers that share their trivia games every week,” Valentine said. “I admit, some of them I can’t figure out, but the kids always do, eventually.”

Lollo has also taught safety rules to the kids, and shares drivers’ best practices with fellow district drivers.

“I try to come up with creative ways to keep the students engaged and foster positive thinking and not horsing around, breaking the safety rules or distracting me from driving the bus,” he said. “I consider my bus the learning and school spirit bus. I try to cast a positive shadow on their educational experience at Novi Community School District and to bring that value added, that something extra that over-the-top ingredient that makes their day.”

Photo courtesy of Novi Community Schools