08/26/2026
TURN THE VOLUME UP PLEASE
Frances West has been driving a school bus since 1976.
Back then, many school buses were Chevrolets with big block gas engines and four speed transmissions. Over 50 years, Frances has seen just about everything change, from the buses themselves to seating, safety equipment, technology, and transportation operations.
But that is not what sets Frances apart.
As we begin another school year, she is teaching all of us a lesson about leadership: lead by example.
For five decades, Frances has safely carried thousands of students to school, home, athletic events, field trips, and activities. More than 7,000 students have been entrusted to her care along the way.
Frances represents what we want leadership to look like in GCPS: Accountability, Communication, Teamwork, Integrity, and Leadership. ACTIL. She is the example to follow.
Her advice to brand new bus drivers says it all:
“Give it everything you’ve got, and then give a little more after that.”
Those are great words to live by for every teacher, bus driver, administrator, and staff member in GCPS.
Ms. Frances, you gave it your all for 50 years, then came back to give a little more.
Here’s to another school year, and hopefully many more.
Thank you for your service, your leadership, and for keeping generations of Gloucester students safe. You lead by example.