6/1/22

Bus Driver Shows School Spirit for Softball Team

Ray poses with the softball teamIn the Oneida City School District, bus driver Raymond Lewis went above and beyond to show the varsity softball team his school spirit.

On May 14, the Oneida High School girls’ varsity softball team began to arrive around 7:30 am at the high school for an 8:00 am departure for a tournament in Mudville, NY. The team was pleasantly surprised to hear “Centerfield” by John Fogerty playing from the school bus upon their arrival.

The driver, Raymond Lewis, was decked out in Oneida’s blue and orange, complete with a baseball cap, an Oneida High School athletic jacket with his original sports patches and his baseball glove for good measure.

As the team loaded into the bus, Mr. Lewis fist bumped each player with his baseball glove, getting the team excited and passionate for the two games they were about to play.

Once the team arrived in Mudville, Mr. Lewis served the team as the unofficial scoreboard manager. To give the team an extra boost, Mr. Lewis took off his Oneida jacket and hung it up on the dugout tent as a good luck charm.

Oneida’s players and coaches could not get enough of Mr. Lewis’s school spirit and positive energy that he brought to the games. The Oneida High School varsity softball team won both games that day.

Raymond Lewis, affectionately known as Ray, has been a bus driver for the Oneida City School District for four years. Throughout his entire life, Mr. Lewis has called Oneida his home, with the exception of his years of military service. Mr. Lewis came to work for Oneida City School District after retiring from close to 40 years in the auto parts industry, in addition to several years of part-time employment with Herb Philipson’s in Oneida.

Mr. Lewis says that he enjoys supporting Oneida High School athletics because – as an Oneida High School alumnus himself – the sports teams are part of who he is.

“I’ve always been a fan of Oneida High School sports,” Mr. Lewis said. “Back when I was a student in the 60s, everyone was gung-ho about Oneida sports.”

For Mr. Lewis, supporting athletics is important because he considers sports a vital part of the learning experience.

“Athletics teaches a lot about life itself,” Mr. Lewis said. “You learn to win, and you learn to lose gracefully.”

Matthew Ware, the resource officer for Oneida High School and the assistant coach for the varsity softball team was thrilled with Mr. Lewis’s exuberance.

“He got the kids all excited,” Mr. Ware said. “It woke up a sleepy softball team at 7:30 in the morning.”

Mr. Ware said that he believes Mr. Lewis’s enthusiasm contributed to the team’s success in some way.

“He would tell them, ‘We’re going to win,’” Mr. Ware said. “By him getting the kids loosened up and ready, the excitement carried over from the ride down to the game itself.”

Karen Brouillette, the transportation director for the Oneida City School District is proud to have drivers like Mr. Lewis on her team.

“Ray is very upbeat and positive,” Mrs. Brouillette said. “He’s reliable, dependable, just a good guy and a team player.”

Like most school districts, Oneida City School District has been facing a bus driver shortage. According to Mrs. Brouillette, an increase in necessary training for bus drivers has contributed to a decline in bus driver applicants.

“It’s a demanding but rewarding job,” Mrs. Brouillette said. “We need to find people that are committed to student safety.”

With more retirees like Raymond Lewis however, there may be a means of combatting the shortage.

“It’s a great job for someone who is retired and just wants to work a few hours a day,” Mrs. Brouillette said.

Anyone interested in applying to be a bus driver for the Oneida City School District should reach out to Karen Brouillette at (315) 363-5470.