Crestview Bus Driver Kathy Peyton Is ‘Jill Of All Trades’

ASHLAND — There isn’t a piece of equipment in the Crestview Community Schools maintenance shop that Kathy Peyton can’t operate.

He knows about tractors, off-road vehicles and lawn mowers. He can change the oil and sharpen the blades. He also knows how to drive a school bus.

Peyton has 33 years as a bus driver for Crestview Local Schools. She has served in several other roles over the past thirty years, from playground and cafeteria assistant to middle school basketball coach.

“I have seen many children grow up and become adults,” she said.

Peyton currently has 62 children on her route, a number that has remained unchanged since she began working for the district.

She said she has three basic rules to keep them in order – sit while the bus is moving, don’t shout or scream, and keep your hands and feet to yourself.

“For me, it’s about balance. You can still be the person in power, but you can still be their friend,” she said. “What matters is how you discipline and what your expectations are.

“I have followed the same route all these years, so my children have grown up with me and know what my expectations are.”

District Transportation Director Joni Robson said Peyton’s kind nature appeals to passengers on her buses.

“She makes her children behave to keep them safe, but they all love her,” Robson said.

“She tells me stories all the time – she’ll be at a party or at the grocery store and grown men will come up to her and say, ‘Do you remember me?’ You were my bus driver and now you’re driving my baby.”

In addition to driving buses, Peyton works for the district’s maintenance staff, caring for the 25-acre campus. He plants flowers, rakes leaves and clears snow. Makes sure the turf is maintained and swept before every home game.

“In spring, all these gardens look just spectacular. You can see our property – everything is pristine,” Supt. – said Jim Grubbs. “Our campus looks like a small college campus. We’re very proud of it, but it’s down to Kathy Payton.”

When her co-worker retired in 2013, Peyton became certified to test the district’s drinking water supply, a task she still performs every day.

“It’s a nice change. It makes the day interesting,” she said. “It makes me jump, which I wouldn’t want to do any other way. I’d be bored.”

In September, Peyton was honored for her diverse skills and commitment to the district by receiving the Exemplary School Employee Award from the Central Region of the Ohio School Board Association.

“I was a little surprised,” Peyton said. “I didn’t expect it, but it was a nice thank you.”

Colleagues describe her as a true professional with a kind heart and an unparalleled work ethic.

“When I first came to Crestview, I tried to stop and talk to her, and I was lucky enough to get her to stop moving long enough to ask her something,” Grubbs said. “He always has that look on his face that says, ‘Hey, I’ve got work to do.'”

Robson called Peyton “the lifeblood of the district.”

“Kathy is one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life,” she said. “She does a little bit of everything.”