When the bright yellow buses roll out each morning, they carry more than just students. They carry trust, responsibility, and the steady presence of drivers like Marsha Birkholz and Dan Miller.

For Birkholz, the role has been part of a lifetime with the district. “I started here in 1954 as a first grader,” she recalls. Decades later, she has worn nearly every hat: teacher’s aide, cook, coach, the first woman ever elected to the school board—and since 2008, a bus driver. The license plate on the beautiful hand-built wooden bus she brought with her to our conversation for this story says it simply: MARSHA. “People thought I was crazy to take this job after working for eye doctors,” she laughs. “But I loved it.”

Miller’s path started differently. A mechanic and farmer by trade, he agreed to “help out a little” in 2015. Eleven years later, he’s still behind the wheel. “I do all the oil changes, greasing, minor maintenance for the buses,” he says. Fellow drivers know him as the man to call when a bus won’t start on a frigid morning. “He says it like it’s nothing,” Birkholz adds, “but we all know he’s the one who gets us rolling again.”

Both drivers speak candidly about the challenges of the job. “We’re teachers on wheels,” Birkholz says. “The hardest part is managing students through a mirror while keeping your eyes on the road. You want to watch the kids, but your focus has to be ahead.” Miller adds that discipline often comes down to presence. “The kids know my look. If I slow down and pull over, it’s not going to be good. They get quiet real quick.”

The responsibility stretches beyond discipline. Drivers are often the first smile a student sees in the morning and the last goodbye at the end of the day. “That’s why it matters,” Birkholz says. “It sets the tone for their whole day.” Miller agrees. “It’s not near as bad as people make it sound. The kids know what to expect, and most of them are really good.”

Their commitment extends to safety in every season. Both name foggy mornings and icy roads as the toughest conditions they face. “Snow we can handle,” Birkholz says. “Ice is worse.” Miller adds, “Fog is the scariest.

Yet even with the challenges, they see rewards. “These kids keep you relevant,” Birkholz says. “You notice when someone’s missing, you check in. You care.” Miller nods. “It’s like milking cows—you’ve got to be there, morning and night, whether you want to or not. But once you get in the rhythm, it becomes part of you.”

Both emphasize the team spirit among Forreston’s drivers. “We really are a team,” Birkholz says. “If the roads are bad or someone’s running behind, we help each other.” Benefits, too, have improved. “Now the district offers insurance,” Miller points out. “That’s a big deal. And if you’re a parent, the schedule matches your kids’ holidays and summers. It fits.”

As Birkholz approaches retirement in 2026, she hints she may keep driving part-time. Miller sees no reason to stop anytime soon. Together, they represent Forreston’s tradition of commitment—decades of getting students to school safely, day after day.

They may call themselves “teachers on wheels,” but the truth is uncomplicated: without drivers like Marsha Birkholz and Dan Miller, Forreston students simply wouldn’t move.