Every year during National School Bus Safety Week, PennDOT sponsors a school bus safety poster contest for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Winners are recognized during an awards event to further highlight the week and promote safety around the school bus.
Similar to the national poster contest conducted by the National Association of Pupil Transportation, PennDOT also had a new theme this year.
“The theme for the contest, Safety First – Safety Always, reminds everyone of the important dynamic between students and their school bus drivers, who navigate commonwealth roadways daily to deliver students to school and home without incident,” PennDOT said.
The following are the winners in grades Kindergarten to 2nd Grade:
First place
Angelina Mumford
Roberts Elementary School
Wayne, Montgomery County
Second Place
Joshua Morgenstern
Roberts Elementary School
Wayne, Montgomery County
Third Place
Rosalyn Killian
William R. Croman Elementary School
Troy, Bradford County
Division 2, consisting of Grades 3-5, was awarded to the following:
First Place
Lipi Kairi
Baker Elementary School
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
Second Place
Akshay Subash
Franklin Elementary School
Sewickley, Allegheny County
Third Place
Olivia Cullison
Robert’s Elementary School, Wayne
Montgomery County
Finally, Division 3 winners in grades 6 to 8 are as follows:
First Place
Arjun Kairi
Fort Couch Middle School
Upper St. Clair, Allegheny County
Second Place
Emma Harriger
Brockway Area Sr/Jr High School
Brockway, Jefferson County
Third Place
Arya Subash
Ingomar Middle School
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
PennDOT added that no qualifying entries were submitted this year for the Special Education and Computer Aided categories.
Meanwhile, PennDOT announced the winners of the 2025 Pennsylvania School Bus Driver Safety Competition, which the Pupil Transportation Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania School Bus Association hold every June to test driver knowledge of safety rules and safe school bus operation. This year, around 60 drivers from across the state participated.
The winners are also recognized during the National School Bus Safety Week event. There were no transit-style buses entered in the competition this year.
The winners in the conventional bus category this year are:
First place
JoAnne Cowan, Krapf School Bus in Chester County
Second place
Angie Martin, Brightbill Transport in Lancaster County
Third place
Patricia Carey, Krapf School Bus in Chester County
“PennDOT would like to congratulate all of the winners and say thank you to all of the students who participated in the School Bus Safety Poster contest and all school bus drivers for keeping our children safe on a daily basis,” the press release stated.
Related: NAPT Annual Poster Contest Winners Announced
Related: WATCH: Michigan Association Releases Illegal Passing PSA for School Bus Safety Week
