It was School Bus Driver Appreciation Week and Sharon Miller won $1000 worth of appreciation! The best drivers in the state came to Raleigh, having placed in the top ten in their district ROADeo, to compete for the title of "Best School Bus Driver in North Carolina." They took a test, went over the rules, and had a feast of barbecue and fried chicken on Wednesday night, and showed up at the State Fairground bright and early Thursday morning.

Forty-eight drivers went through eight driving obstacles including Diminishing Clearance, Backing, Right Turn and Parallel Parking. The top score was 341 points out of a possible 400.

Top Ten finishers:

Place	LEA	Participant
1	Davie	Miller, Sharon
2	Wake	McKemey, Billy
3	Cherokee	Wolfe, Noah
4	Buncombe	Cooke, Merle
5	Wake	Lanier, Byron
6	Buncombe	Howell, Rick
7	Union	Farson, Bill
8	Gaston	Paulk, Jody
9	Rowan	Huss, Roy
10	Davidson	Bordeaux, Darrell

The Special Needs ROADeo was held concurrently and featured twelve participants comprising six driver/safety assistant teams. These teams also competed in a driving competition featuring obstacles such as Railroad Crossing and Backing, but also demonstrated their unique skills required for wheelchair loading, student management, etc.

Matthew Monk and Tonya McNeil shared a $600 first place prize.

The top three teams:
1st place - Wake County: Matthew Monk / Tonya McNeil
2nd place - Cleveland County: Carol Goforth / Pat McDonald
3rd place - Cumberland County: Vincent Manley / Debbie Robetille

The ROADeo was sponsored by the NC Pupil Transportation Association, DPI Transportation Services, DPI Exceptional Children Division, DMV School Bus and Traffic Safety and Wake County Schools.