Russ Gillig, a New Haven bus driver and custodian, has worked at New Haven High School for five years. Russ also proudly served our country in the army for two years. He was born and raised on his family farm where he still lives to this day in Bay, Missouri.
Russ talked a little about himself by saying, “I married a girl from St. Louis [and] we've been married for 30 years. I have a son that was in the Marines. [He] did one tour in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan while he was in.”
When asked what drew him to New Haven, Russ responded with, “this is where the work was at the time I was looking for a job.”
He even talked about what he likes most about working here.
“Working with the great staff in this school and being able to interact with the students,” replied Russ.
During his free time, Russ likes to work on his family farm and practice karate.
An inspirational quote Russ favors is, “if you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything. Because if you don't take a stand for something you believe in, then you're not living life to its full potential.”
Russ was asked if he has any particular story he would like to share from his time in the army.
Russ replied with, “I am just glad I was able to serve my country.”
Russ has also shared his biggest pet peeve, and he replied with, “People not using their turn signal when they're driving.”
Many of the teachers have done things during the summer, and Russ talked about what he did during the summer break. Russ said he “worked on the school to get it to looking as good as I could for you.”
A few students shared their stories and thoughts on how they feel about Russ.
“One year during Halloween, he gave the kids on the bus candy,” commented senior Diana Ribera.
“Last year, I hurt my knee, and Russ asked me about it and made me feel more comfortable about it, and he’s just a really top-notch guy,” said senior Kamryn Poe. She continued by saying, “He’s the MVP of the school.”
Senior Mikayla Maloney stated, “Russ has great taste in music. One day at cheer practice, he was playing an 80s song, and I screamed along with it at the top of my lungs and he laughed with me.”
According to many students, Russ is an amazing bus driver and is a good friend. We thank you, Russ, for all the things you have done for New Haven and for serving our country.