Sheila Cazares and Jane Frando know how much their peers admire what they have done in their long careers as school bus drivers for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. Both received standing ovations when their names were announced as recipients of safe driving awards during ceremonies held at Sequoia Middle School in Bakersfield on Aug. 13. The two are among an elite group of just seven drivers who have been a part of KCSOS Transportation Services since it began busing students from home-to-school in 1981. The others are Judy Fike, Julia Beverly, Carrie Boschini, Pat Jackson-Shaw and Julia Hughes. Imagine driving the equivalent of 52 times around the world. Then, factor in no accidents and what you have is Cazares’ amazing driving record. She has logged almost 1.3 million miles driving her school bus without being involved in a preventable accident. Officer Von Cain, representing the California Highway Patrol (CHP), presented Cazares with the CHP Safe Driving Award, which is given to drivers each time they surpass 100,000 miles without a preventable accident. Cazares has accumulated quite a few. As Cazares walked down the aisle amid boisterous applause and a standing ovation, Cain told the audience, “Sheila, I can’t even fathom that much mileage, and without an accident? I thought I drove a lot in my patrol car, but it is nothing compared to what you have accomplished.” More