Horizon Hill community celebrates beloved bus driver

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — The community of Horizon Hill in Maryland all came together to honor a very special bus driver. Ralph Schwartzback, or Mr. Ralph to the kids, has been picking up and dropping off kids for 30 years. Each day, he makes sure the kids get to school and back home safely and happily. 

When looking for a way to celebrate Mr. Ralph, parent Lauren Flaherty decided to create an award just for him. 

“The thing about Mr. Ralph is that you feel seen when you are around him and, in this world, where children are constantly looking at technology and phones this is a man they look up for. We created the bus driver of the year award. This man is constantly showing up for us, so we just want to show up for him just this once,” said Flaherty. 

Mr. Ralph was greeted at the bus stop by current and former riders. The group came prepared with signs, cards and flowers. 

After taking in the surprise celebration, Mr. Ralph spoke about why this job means so much to him.

“These kids are my heart like I was saying like I wake up I come in here you know it's my life it's children. I could change [or] make a day I'm going to do it and I do it every day with these kids,” said Mr. Ralph. 

The kids only had great things to say about their beloved bus driver too. 

Each child had a unique story about how Mr. Ralph made them feel special, seen and loved. Even the parents shared stories about how Mr. Ralph had become so much more than a bus driver to them.

When asked about retirement, Mr. Ralph said he has no plans to retire any time soon. 

To quote the kids “WE LOVE YOU MR. RALPH!”