John Maxwell of Dallas Center-Grimes Schools located about 25 miles west of Des Moines won Iowa's "Best of the Best Technician's Training & Competition" on June 15 and is headed to Raleigh, N.C., this fall to go head to head with his counterparts from across the nation.
Max Christensen, the state director of pupil transportation with the Iowa Department of Education, said 19 participants from a dozen school districts participated in the fourth annual event held in Marshalltown, Iowa. There was a 50 percent increase in participants from last year, said Christensen.
"'Best' is only relative since every one of our participants is an awesome mechanic and were a credit to our competition," Christensen added. "It was a great effort by all of our participants and (by) all those involved in putting the 'Best of the Best' together this year, making it the most successful one yet."
The "America's Best School Bus Technician & School Bus Inspector Training & Skills Competition" presented by the National Association for Pupil Transportation is scheduled for Sept. 25-28 at the Cummins Inc. engine plant.
In addition to Dallas Center-Grimes, others school districts participating in the Iowa competition were: Allamakee Community Schools; Burlington Community Schools; Glenwood Community Schools; Indianola Community Schools; Johnston Community Schools; Marshalltown Community Schools; Mt. Vernon Community Schools; Norwalk Community Schools; Southeast Polk Community Schools; Starmont Community Schools; and Western Dubuque Community Schools.