Meet Allegras.
She’s 9-years-old, and 4Seasons has been providing her with accessible school bus transportation since 2014.
Over the past 7 years, Allegras’ School Bus Drivers and Attendants have spent lots of time with her during school bus rides in the morning and afternoons, and have watched her grow up. She loves colouring, playing I Spy, and songs like Happy Birthday and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Allegras’ mom, Lessette is so grateful for the support she’s received from 4Seasons:
“Our driver and attendant are the best! They help bring Allegras out of the house and onto the school bus and I always know when to expect them to arrive. They’re a blessing for Allegras!”
The support goes beyond caring for Allegras during accessible school bus rides to a specialized education program in Calgary. A few years ago, 4Seasons School Bus Drivers even helped Lessette and her family move homes.
“Our School Bus Drivers and Attendants have been such a big help for our family,” says Lessette. “They are an important part of our lives, and Allegras really enjoys her time with them. Allegras is happy when she gets on the bus, and she’s happy when she gets off the bus,” she says. “4Seasons really takes care of the students properly.”
Allegras’ First Words on the School Bus
Allegras is a non-verbal student and recently received a new electronic communication device, which enables her to express her feelings and thoughts. The device uses her eye’s gaze on the device’s pictures and words to create speech output for Allegras to verbalize sentences.
A few weeks after receiving her communication device, Allegras shared her first words on the school bus with her School Bus Driver, Richard and School Bus Attendant, Ginell.
“I’ve had a non-verbal child on the bus all year that's normally a pretty calm and quiet little girl,” says 4Seasons School Bus Driver Richard. “One day, that quiet little girl spoke for us for the first time. She looked at her device and then looked at me and said ‘God bless you.' I was overwhelmed with emotion with the fact that our little passenger used her brand new electronic device to talk with us for the very first time."
“I don’t know what I did to deserve such a memorable day like this but I’ll take it,” he says. “It just goes to show the difference we make to our students every day."
Make a difference in the lives of students with disabilities. Find out more about the role of a Van or School Bus Driver in Calgary.