By Alexa Liacko
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FULTON COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — For students riding the “Red Elephant Bus” to Lake Windward Elementary School, the drive is more than transportation. It’s a daily celebration filled with singing, dancing, and encouragement from a bus driver who has become one of the most beloved adults in their lives.
For the past decade, Lisa Jacobs has transformed her school bus into a place where students feel seen, supported and connected before they ever step into a classroom.
“Miss Lisa always makes everything fun. Even when you’re having one of those bad days, you always look forward to a day on the bus because every day is different and special,” fifth-grader Magnolia Rumsey said.
Jacobs never expected to become a school bus driver. A floral designer who creates arrangements for weddings and parties, she took the job because she needed health insurance.
“This is what I’m supposed to be doing. Which I never thought I would be a bus driver. I’m a floral designer. I do weddings. I do parties. That’s what I do. And this was an addition. And it just became that I love it,” Jacobs said.
What began as a practical decision quickly became a calling.
“That first thank-you note and that first little gift that they made, it just … I was sold,” she said.
Today, students know her bus by its nickname, the Red Elephant Bus. Each day brings a different tradition, from Tell Me Something Good Monday to Joke Wednesday and Dance Party Friday.
“When they have a bad day, I try to reassure them, this is one day, it’ll get better. We all need a cheerleader on our side. And I try to be their cheerleader for every single one of them,” Jacobs said.
Lake Windward Elementary Principal Lauren Busing said Jacobs’ impact extends far beyond transportation.
“Miss Lisa is an extension of our wonderful staff here at Lake Windward, as is the bus is an extension of the classrooms here. She does a great job of building community and making sure our students feel appreciated and welcomed and safe,” Busing said.
For some students, that encouragement has helped build confidence.
Rumsey said Jacobs inspired her to run for bus monitor.
“I put in an essay and did a little speech in front of the whole bus telling why I should be a bus monitor and my promises… kind of like becoming president. And yay, I got elected,” Rumsey said.
The sense of community on the bus became so meaningful that Jacobs turned it into a book featuring the students who ride with her.
“Everybody had their own page. It was your own drawing and a paragraph about the bus,” fifth-grader Adrina Izadi said.
Izadi said being included in the project was a memorable experience.
“I really don’t have big moments. I’m just a regular person. But it was really exciting when I heard I could be a narrator,” she said.
Students say Jacobs has a gift for making everyone feel important.
“She always wants to make everybody happy. She’s always that type of energetic person you would go to if you’re feeling down,” Izadi said.
Rumsey described Jacobs as a trusted source of support during the school year.
“Miss Lisa is a friend, so I can talk to her when I need to and just get my stuff out whenever I really need to or want to. She’s kind of like my rock for school,” Rumsey said.
Busing said that positive energy carries over into the school day.
“After they leave our building and they ride home on the bus, and then when she picks them up in the morning, she greets them with a big smile. And they’re just so excited to then arrive at school. When they get off, and I get to see them in the morning. So we’re just so grateful for her,” Busing said.
Jacobs said the students have given her just as much as she has given them.
“It just makes me feel so warm. It feels like a great purpose. Like I’m supposed to be doing this. I am supposed to be their cheerleader. Because they bring me up,” she said.
Her commitment doesn’t end when the bus route is over. Jacobs regularly attends her students’ extracurricular activities and events, continuing to support them long after they leave her bus.
And she hopes every child who rides the Red Elephant Bus remembers one thing.
“I want them to remember that they have somebody on their side, they have somebody that has their back, and that will never change no matter how old they get,” Jacobs said.
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Photos courtesy of the Idaho Transportation Department
