As the Carter County school system prepares to welcome students back next week, visitors to the system’s bus garage will be welcomed by a new sight when they stop by ­— a mural painted by one of the bus drivers.

The mural features the image of a parent waiting with a child at a bus stop as the bus pulls up and the driver opens the door. The mural also features the following inspirational quote:

“One hundred years from now, it won’t matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank, nor what my clothes looked like, but the world may be a little better because I was important in the life of a child.” The author of the quote is unknown.

While Jennifer Lawson came up with the idea for the mural and did the painting herself, it was a team effort to bring the whole thing together. Missy Ward, the safety coordinator for the bus garage, picked out the quote, and Carter County Commissioner Mike Hill lent his talent by painting the quote on the wall.

Lawson designed the mural to illustrate the quote and then built it around what Hill had already painted.

Lawson wanted to keep the mural simple so it would not overwhelm the importance of the message, she said.

“When they first approached me about doing this, I thought about what would be the best way to do it, and I decided to draw it like a child would have,” she said. “Given the theme, I thought it was more appropriate.”

“It has all come together, and I’m real happy,” she added.

While she has always enjoyed painting, Lawson said it has been about 15 years since she has had the chance to take on a project like the mural.

“It has been a long time since I had done one and I really enjoyed it,” she said.

This is the third year Lawson, who serves students in the Keenburg area, has driven for the Carter County school system.