INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: BRIEFS
LONGTIME WASHINGTON STATE STUDENT TRANSPORTER SHARON SCHALK REMEMBERED FOR LEADERSHIP
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haron Schalk, the namesake of an annual award given by the Washington Association of Pupil Transportation (WAPT) to a member who displays leadership in management or safety, passed away in early May after a brief battle with cancer, said an
associate. She was 69. Schalk served as the WAPT president in 1998 and 1999 and was the first inductee into the association’s Hall of Fame in 2009. In 1995, she was the first classified school support employee to be honored for her outstanding contributions by then-Gov. Mike Lowry. Schalk also received a certificate of appreciation from State Education Superintendent Dr. Terry Bergeson for the 2007-2008 school year. She started in the industry as a school bus driver for White
Salmon Valley School District in 1976 and became a driver trainer, transportation supervisor and eventually transportation director until January 2010. In 1983 Schalk was named the lead instructor for the state’s
driver trainer program. Since then, Washington state’s driver trainer program has received national recognition and has been used as a model for other states, said Susan Tibke, White Salmon’s current transportation director, in an email to WAPT members. Several months after her retirement, the White Salmon Valley board of directors dedicated the transportation facility to her, nam-
ing it the Sharon E. Schalk Transportation Center, Tibke stated. “Sharon gave us her all, and we will strive to carry on her legacy
of superior safety and customer service in the transportation field — for students, for schools, and for the community,” wrote Tibke.
36 School Transportation News June 2014
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