David Smith of Swanton Local School District located about 20 miles southwest of Toledo, Ohio, made it to Greenville, S.C., for America’s Best via a diagnostic test tiebreaker with two other school bus technicians in April during the state qualifier hosted by the Ohio School Bus Mechanics Association. But Smith proved his excellence this week as he captured the technician title from about two dozen other competitors. Meanwhile, Nikolas Warejcka of Douglas County Schoools south in Parker, Colo., won the school bus inspector category and was the represenative sent by the Colorado State Pupil Transportation Association.

“The job of school bus technicians and inspectors is critical because we entrust these professionals with our kids’ lives every day,” said Bill Tousley, president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation, which presented the event. “This competition is designed to bring attention to the good work they do on a daily basis, and we congratulate David and Nikolas for their tremendous accomplishment this week.”

Smith and Warejcka will be honored at the NAPT annual conference this fall in Louisville, Ky.

America’s Best participants compete against each other with written tests and hands-on fixes and identifications of necessary bus repairs, including electrical systems, brakes, engines, suspensions, drive trains and bus bodies. The event also doubles as a training and networking exercise.

“In addition to participating in the competition, we hope these professionals have learned some things from each other that they can take back to their jobs ensuring the safety of our children,” said Marshall Casey, director of school bus maintenance for the South Carolina Department of Education and an America’s Best organizer.

Michelin hosted the two-day event at its Greenville, S.C., facility and ASE, Bus Parts Warehouse, Hydrotex and Zonar Systems were sponsors.