Dee Ziobro MILLSTONE – After 21 years behind the wheel of a school bus, Dee Ziobro is retiring.
TheMillstone Township Board of Education honored Ziobro for her dedication and service at its Jan. 28 meeting. The school district’s bus drivers and other staff members held a retirement dinner for her at the Marco Polo restaurant in Freehold Township on Jan. 25.
A resolution the board passed unanimously stated that Ziobro not only provided safe transportation for the past 21 years, but also guidance and encouragement to countless numbers of students and their families. The board also noted the amount of time and energy she has enthusiastically given to the schools and community, and that everyone in the district has recognized her devotion.
“This extraordinary employee has been a mentor and a confidante to numerous colleagues past and present, and her dedication and sincere love of children has left a lasting impression on all those she encountered,” the resolution stated.
Superintendent of Schools Mary Anne Donahue said that Ziobro has always put the needs of the children first.
“I am definitely going to miss her,” she said.
Because Ziobro has also served on the Millstone Township First Aid Squad for 42 years, it was not unusual for her to drive children to school in the morning and then have to return before the afternoon pick-up to treat a child who had been hurt in gym class, Donahue said.
Ziobro, 71, has lived in Millstone for 44 years. She started driving a school bus when the district’s former transportation coordinator, a friend of hers, needed someone to transport some special education students.
She has driven students of all ages over the years. When asked if she had a favorite age group, Ziobro said she liked the kindergartners.
“They’re cute and still learning,” she said.
She only experienced one year in which she had a really difficult group of kids on her bus. They were high school students, she recalled.
Her philosophy for handling students on the bus is to start each school year off by laying out clear rules and regulations and then sticking to them.
Although she is retiring as a bus driver, Ziobro will remain active in the community. She is the vice president of the 23rd district of the New Jersey State First Aid Council, and has 10 volunteer squads under her.
Ziobro will also continue to work with the school district as a member of the Key Communicator Group, which is a group of volunteers that acts as a liaison between school officials and others in the school district.