News from AEHS Alumni

Don Moore, who drove generations of AEHS students to and from school, has retired from the Montgomery County Public Schools staff after 34 years. Thanks to Mr. Joseph Monte for sharing Don's recollections.

Don wrote, "I began driving a school bus for MCPS, including Einstein High School, at the end of November, 1978. Among the 1,300 bus operators in our system now, only one has served the same school longer than I have served Einstein-34 years and 3 months as of my final day (February 28, 2013). Shortly after I started driving the bus I met Mr. Joseph Monte, a guidance counselor in Einstein's Counseling Services, who has now served the school even longer than I have. His respect for, and acceptance of, others from all backgrounds and walks of life impressed me at once, and we quickly became good friends. When the movie Saving Private Ryan came out, Mr. Monte met me at a theatre to watch it with me and another friend of mine. His friendship over the years has often brightened my day and lightened my load. He is the one who arranged to have a retirement cake in my honor, to be shared with the other Einstein bus operators on Tuesday, February 26.

I have kept many notes about my school bus experiences, and written a book that I plan to update and get published in the next year, probably as an online e-book initially. Entitled THE KIDS IN MY REARVIEW MIRROR--Reflections of a School Bus Driver, it contains anecdotes ranging from humorous to sad to troubling, and serious commentary about young people, education, and school bus safety, all from my vantage point behind the steering wheel of a big, yellow vehicle filled with kids. Quite a number of Einstein students who have ridden my bus will recognize themselves in the pages of the book, even though the names have been changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty. Here is an excerpt:

During my otherwise hectic first year on the job, my Einstein High School bus run had been remarkably smooth and quiet. I was therefore genuinely astonished-and concerned-when I discovered one spring morning that someone on that run had smeared shampoo over the back seats. I mentioned it to the whole busload in the afternoon, not expecting to find out who did it, and received my next surprise: the last person off told me who it was!

I did not want to make a mountain out of a molehill but I did want the guilty person exposed so that neither he nor anyone else would be inclined to repeat such a stunt. I also needed to reserve the anonymity of my informant. To achieve these objectives, I pulled a prank against the prankster. I typed a letter which I had a friend sign (just in case a sharp student should ask to compare my signature with that one), and then waited a week to give it the necessary time needed for credibility. After the students boarded the bus that afternoon, I stood and faced them saying, "It's amazing what one can learn about what happens on his school bus if he has a friend who works for the F.B.I. Crime Lab. You'll see what I mean as I read you this letter""

Best wishes, Don, for many happy years of retirement!