What does it really mean to go “above and beyond” for all of your students? To Tawanda Hunt, it means saving 17 students from her burning school bus.

Hunt, a bus driver and substitute teacher of Orrum Middle School in Robeson County for over 29 years, recalls that frightful day in October 2019.

About half way through the route, she made a stop for a boy to get on the bus. “I was getting ready to shut my door and boom someone hit us in the back. My first thought was, ‘oh my god, we’ve been hit.’”

Hunt unfastened her seatbelt. As she stood up from her seat, the bus was hit again.

“I prayed for calm,” she said. “I saw the bus was on fire. We were near some woods, so I got the kids as far away from the bus as I could. I can’t let these children get hurt.”

She got every student off the bus before calling for help.

Hunt is a mother figure for the kids at Orrum Middle School. She shows her love and support by always lending a helping hand.

“People don’t get enough recognition for their actions,” said Tony Britt, principal of Hunt’s school. “So, it makes me feel good that someone like her is at this point in time. Life without Tawanda would be a big change in the school’s life and the community’s life.”

Hunt’s dedication to her job and ability to spread a little love while doing it led to her selection as one of the 10 winners of the Education Lottery’s School Heroes program. She is often the first person students at Orrum Middle see in the morning and the last one who makes sure to get them home safe on game days.

“I’m grateful,” said Hunt. “I just hope people know that being kind and caring can go a long way. You don’t know what the child’s home life is like so it’s important for me to always be kind.”

The Education Lottery created the NC School Heroes program to showcase the positive impacts teachers, principals, and other school workers have in public schools every day. Parents, teachers, and community members submitted more than 4,900 nominations of individuals making a difference in their schools.

Both the School Hero and their school receive a $10,000 award.

Hunt said she plans to pay off her car loan and then start a closet with clothes and blankets for students at school. Britt said the school will use the money to help add solar panels to their campus and STEM programs.

“Teachers and school staff have all stepped up for our children during these unprecedented times,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “The 10 School Heroes selected this year provide a glimpse into the world of these everyday heroes and we are glad to shine a spotlight on their great work.”

Money raised by the lottery assists many of those School Heroes, including $386 million this school year that supports the work of school support staff such as office assistants and custodians. Additional money will help build and repair schools, support the N.C. Pre-K program for “at-risk” four-year-olds, provide college scholarships and grants based on financial need, and help meet school transportation needs.

The lottery raises more than $725 million a year for education. For details on how $9.6 million in lottery funds made a difference in Robeson County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com.