Joyce Snide

You never know who you might meet in the towel aisle at TJ Maxx. Luckily for me, I recently met a Kingsport hero, KCS bus driver Joyce Snide. Joyce spent most of her life thousands of miles from here in California and Arizona, but years ago, she took a step of faith with her husband and they soon found themselves new residents of East Tennessee.

Joyce has always been a servant. She has held positions in customer service in the flooring industry, critical care, kidney dialysis, and even the fast food industry, making sure patrons got it “their way” at Burger King.

Joyce’s move to Kingsport was difficult in some ways. Her new home, beautiful as it was, left her days away from her children and grandchildren. Her love for kids, though, traveled with her. Almost seven years ago, Joyce started driving a KCS bus, in large part because of her passion for service and her desire to invest in kids!

Each of our wonderful bus drivers receives standard KCS employee training, extensive driving training, and education about fostering meaningful connections with students. Drivers are responsible for washing the bus inside and out, re-

fueling, and notifying maintenance personnel of any necessary repairs. Buses must be inspected and disinfected every time before leaving for a route.

Joyce begins her day bright and early at 5:00am. Once the bus inspection is complete, her route begins and the first student steps on the bus at 6:00am. She is well aware that she is the first face of the school day for her students. Drawing on past experience in dealing with children, Joyce develops relationships with the students and takes a personal interest in each one. She knows them by name – all 60 or so of them. She also communicates positive affirmations to the students and reminds them to see the good in everyone.

Joyce is a listening ear to those students who just need to be heard. Knowing the students so well, she can see a change in dynamics and identify a problem early on. She’s also a whiz at returning “lost and found items” to their owners. Parents have the luxury of knowing her cell phone number – just in case. Rumor has it that Joyce has provided gifts to students who have a specific need to move forward in a career after graduation. Her afternoon drive begins at 2:00pm and once the last student is delivered, she makes her way back to Industry Drive to the KCS Transportation Department, usually later than 5:00pm!

In her free time, Joyce enjoys cycling, gardening, taking beach trips, camping, and tackling home improvement projects.

I am so grateful to call her friend and to know that she is making a positive impact on the lives of so many students (and parents!)

Joyce Snide is a Profile in Commitment—someone who inspires me to be the most committed and compassionate school board member I can be. Thank you, Joyce, for your years of dedicated service to our community!