Montgomery, Ala. – Two Alabama public school students – Catherine Leah Pease of Bob Jones High School in the Madison City School System and Jason Keith Haley of Curry High School in the Walker County School System – are recipients of the 2011 Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference Buster Bynum Scholarship.
The Buster Bynum Scholarship is a one-time $1,000 education scholarship awarded to two deserving public school students in each of the 14 member southeastern states of the Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference (SESPTC). The scholarship is named for the current treasurer, past president, and longtime member of the SESPTC Board of Directors, who has been a strong advocate for improving student transportation safety for more than 41 years. Prior to his retirement, Bynum served as the Virginia State Director of Pupil Transportation and also held other positions in the field of school transportation. Scholarship sponsors are the Alabama Department of Education Pupil Transportation Section and the SESPTC.
Created in 2005, Buster Bynum Scholarships are awarded to children of school bus transportation employees actively employed in public school transportation for the past five years. Eligible students must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA and are selected based on their leadership, citizenship and service.
Catherine Leah Pease is the daughter of Shannon and Mary Anne Pease. Mrs. Pease has been a Madison City Schools’ bus driver since 2005 and driving since 1999. Mr. Pease is a school bus mechanic for the school district. Teacher Shirley Baldridge says, “I have found Leah to be an extremely hard-working, cooperative and resilient young woman. After the death of her mother in 2009, she has lived with her father and stepmother and took on the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings.” College and Career Advisor Sheila Roberts wrote, “Leah is a survivor. She works hard and wants to pursue a career in education.”
Jason Keith Haley is the son of Ms. Tonia Dotson, a Walker County Schools’ permanent bus driver since 2006. Haley is active in school activities including National Honor Society, Beta Club president, Varsity Basketball, Spanish Club vice president, Who’s Who Among All-American Students, as well as winning the U.S. Achievement Academy National Language Arts Award for 2010-2011. His community activities include Salvation Army, peer tutoring, and Walker Baptist Health Care Explorer Program. “Jason has many attributes why he is the perfect candidate for this scholarship. He has maintained a GPA of 4.18, a rank of 7/126, and has an ACT score of 22,” said Krista Cain, Curry High School Senior Guidance Counselor. Haley decided to study nursing after his younger brother, Cody, had open-heart surgery.
For more scholarship information, contact Brad Holley, Program Administrator in Pupil Transportation, at 334-242-9730 or bholley@alsde.edu.
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