Barry Smith has been one of our awesome bus drivers at Chillicothe R-II Schools for six months! This year, he is driving a town route on bus 18 and drives many of our athletes to sporting events during the week.
Barry said that he loves driving a bus for Chillicothe R-II Schools, simply because of the kids he transports. “I love interacting with the kids! You learn something new everyday from them, and they may learn something from us,” he said.
While he’s not a Chillicothe native (he grew up in St. Joseph), Barry said he really enjoys driving our athletes to the various competitions during the year. In fact, he said it’s not unusual for him to drive athletes to four or five trips in a week, and that’s something he said he wouldn’t change a bit. “I see them (the athletes) all hyped-up before the games and try to keep them on that high note on the way home if they win, or I try to keep their spirits up if they lose,” Barry said. He noted, “I do try to let them know that, in the long-run, it doesn’t matter - winning or losing. If you went out and had fun, it’s a win either way.”
Barry said that he would advise anyone thinking about driving for Chillicothe R-II to submit an application and try it. “They (the applicants) may just get the bug and it may become another career for them because it really does make your days better just by being around the children.”
Working as a bus driver has, in fact, become Barry’s second career. He retired in 2020 as a Corrections Lieutenant from the Department of Corrections, where he said he worked for 25 years, six months, and eight days. He and his wife, Jennifer, have been married since 2005, and have six children: Trent Holcomb, Logan Smith, Darien Lame, Landon Smith, Laramie Smith and Dylan Nuckols. They also have five grandchildren.