VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Marge Moore, known as Mrs. Moore to the students of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, said she loves doing her job every day.
Moore was recently nominated by a fellow co-worker for a Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award. It's a federal award that honors a school employee who does a great service for students in the school system.
"Parents kept congratulating me and I thought it was a joke," said Marge. She described her fellow employee explaining he nominated her for the award, saying, "He said, 'oh you need recognition' and I said no I don't. I like to be in the background."
For nearly 50 years, Marge has started up her bus every morning, drove on her route, and welcomed the students on and waved them goodbye every day. Moore said there are some children whose parents she once drove around on the bus as well.
“The kids...I like to see what they’re growing up to be,” said Moore.
However, once all students went virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic, Moore wasn't able to do what she loved. Instead, she decided to help the families she served by joining other bus drivers to deliver meals along a route.
“I saw a boy that I haul to ATC and he looks at me and he says, ‘are we going back?’ and I said, ‘hun I have not a clue,’” said Moore.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools said it won't go back to in-person learning until at least this January after winter break if the region's positivity rate goes down.
Moore said until then, she's going to do what she knows best and drive her bus to deliver meals to the students she's been serving for all these years.
