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September 8th, 2006
BRADENTON - Celeste Martens was doing a routine bus driver training in one of the school district's 84-passenger buses when she saw a tiny girl walking along the side of the road alone. Martens immediately knew there was something amiss so they pulled over and stopped to ask the little girl if she was lost. The rest of the story is the reason Ms. Martens will be recognized Monday as the Florida School Bus Operator of the Year for her act of kindness and heroism.
On Monday, September 11, Celeste Martens, Manatee District's Assistant Safety Officer/Trainer, will be honored at a formal ceremony in Tallahassee marking Florida Missing Children's Day 2006. Governor Jeb Bush will preside over the event being held at the State Capitol. In addition to recognizing the significance of Florida's missing children, a special remembrance will be made for those whose lives were tragically taken on September 11, 2001. Celeste Martens was nominated by Manatee District Director of Transportation Kathy Braselton for her role in returning a 4-year old child to her parents last February.
“I believe I did what any other person would do. The little girl was obviously lost and said she was walking to school but the nearest school was over a mile away. She spoke little English so we asked one of our employees to translate her story. From there we called law enforcement and together we were able to reunite her with her parents,” stated Martens.
Martens, a 14-year veteran of the Manatee School District's Transportation Department, has won numerous district awards and is responsible for training new bus drivers and assisting with many other transportation safety duties.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Missing Children Information Clearinghouse Advisory Board sets the criteria for the School Bus Operator of the Year Award.