Landy Callen has worked for the Central Kitsap Transportation Department for 36 years. During that time, she learned how important a bus driver’s role is in the educational system.
“We’re the first ones to see the kids in the morning and the last ones to see them before they go home,” Callen said. “If I can make their days better and put a smile on their face, it’s really gratifying.”
Callen is retiring at the end of the year as the longest-serving member of the Transportation staff. She’s looking forward to spending more time crafting, spending time with her family, and keeping up with yard work.
“Landy’s longevity has provided her with experience that has helped her be successful as a driver and coworker,” said Lisa Danskin, the transportation manager for the Central Kitsap Transportation Department. “Landy always stays busy crafting or making beaded jewelry. She’s very talented.”
Even though she’ll have more free time on her hands, it’s a bittersweet occasion for her.
“I love being around kids,” Callen said. “Even at home, all of the neighborhood kids hung out at my house.”
Full circle career
Callen began her career as an assistant on the special needs bus. Eventually, she was hired full-time as a driver and handled various routes throughout her career.
For the last 12 years, Callen has been driving a bus with students with special needs at Ridgetop, returning to where she started her career.
Her favorite part about her job is making a connection with her passengers and seeing them develop throughout their time riding her bus.
“Seeing how the kids mature and grow is one of my favorite parts about being a driver,” Callen said. “I love making that connection with those kids.”
“We’re a family”
Just three years into her career at CK, a collapsed lung put Callen in the hospital for a prolonged absence around Christmas.
That’s when her coworkers at the Transportation Department stepped in.
Her fellow drivers held a yard sale to raise money to give Callen and her children Christmas presents, and they volunteered to deliver meals to her while she was recovering at home after being discharged.
The generosity still warms her heart today, and that atmosphere amongst the staff is still around today, Callen says.
“We’re a family, we really are,” she said.