Jamie Magness and Andrea Gerth of Genesee Intermediate School District in Flint, Mich., bested 19 other teams on Saturday as they won the 14th Annual National Special Needs Team Safety Roadeo.

Magness and Gerth scored 895 out of a possible 932 points, outdistancing the second- and third-place teams in what NAPT President-Elect Alexandra Robinson called the closest competition in recent memory. Magness was the driver and Gerth the aide, although both are drivers for Genesee ISD, which transports 1,200 students with special needs on 100 buses and another 1,400 vocational education students on another 20 buses.

The women are three-time Michigan state champions in the special needs event but finished in fourth place at the 2009 and 2010 national roadeos held in Indianapolis and Orlando, Fla., respectively. Gerth has driven for three years after serving as a bus aid for two years, and Magness has been a part-time driver for three years. She is also a full-time, para-educator for Genesee ISD's Marion D.Crouse Instructional Center in Flushing, Mich.

From left, Andrea Gerth, Steve Barker of Sure-Lok and Jamie Magness.

She was referring to the evacuation drill, one of the six events the teams were tested on earlier in the day at South Valley Junior High School in Liberty, Mo., about a half-hour drive north of Kansas City.

The evacuation was a surprise sprung on the teams at the last minute. It consisted of a scenario in which a school bus is navigating foggy, rainy conditions when it is hit by an ambulance. Each team had approximately two minutes to evacuate the students, which were portrayed by judges and other helpers.

Teams also competed in a pre-trip inspection, car seat securement, loading and securement, and a driving course at the event. The roadeo was once again held in conjunction with the Transporting Students with Disabilities & Preschoolers National Conference & Exhibition.

"We just honed in on what we needed to do," Gerth added. "We learn so much while we're here. That's why we come."

The second-place team was comprised of Clayton Terry and Shelly Johnson (black shirt and cowboy hat in first photo, above) of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Houston. They finished second with 868 total points, seven points ahead of driver George Sheely and aide Edith Fairchild (in blue) from Hayes ISD in Kyle, Texas.

Editor's note: See more from the banquet and from the day's competition on the School Transportation News photo album at STNSOCiAL.com.