Earlier this month at the NAPT Summit trade show in Richmond, Virginia, Safe Fleet revealed the winners of both their United Against Bullying Grant and anti-bullying coloring contest.
The United Against Bullying Grant will fund the initiatives of school districts across North America to prevent and address bullying, as well as to encourage students to stand up against this harmful behavior. The application window was from Aug. 1 to Oct. 15. A total of 65 transportation departments from schools across the United States and Canada submitted their proposals with plans or programs to do things like provide support for students in distress, reward positive behavior, teach empathy and compassion and/or train school bus drivers to prevent bullying.
“We thank all school districts who applied for the grant. Their submissions included some amazing ideas for building a safer environment for children,” said John R. Knox, president and CEO of Safe Fleet. “We were impressed by so many inspiring anti-bullying programs and are happy to provide some tools and funds to support their efforts.”
The grant recipients are:
- Spotsylvania County Public Schools, Spotsylvania, Virginia
- Elkhart Community Schools, Elkhart, Indiana
- Portland Public Schools, Portland, Oregon
- School of Excellence in Education, San Antonio, Texas
- Minnesauke Elementary School, Three Village Central School District, East Setauket, New York
- Isle of Wight County Schools, Smithfield, Virginia
- Marietta City Schools, Marietta, Georgia
- Southern Huntingdon County School District, Three Springs, Pennsylvania
- Nevada Department of Education, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Glendale Elementary School District No.40, Glendale, Arizona
- Luther L Wright K12 School, Ironwood, Michigan
- Pottsville School District, Pottsville, Arkansas
- Orangewood Elementary School, Bakersfield, California
- Yuma Union High School, Yuma, Arizona
- Flowing Wells Unified School District, Tucson, Arizona
- Puget Sound ESD, Pacific, Washington
Safe Fleet also announced the winners of Part 2 of their annual coloring contest. Out of over 2,000 participants, one student won in each of three different age categories. The winners will receive an anti-bullying teddy bear and an anti-bullying medal. The schools the winners attend will receive a Bully Project DVD and and educator’s kit, as well as a $500 donation to be used for anti-bullying education.
The winners are:
- 5–7 years old – Ricardo Alanis, 7 years old, from Desert View Academy, Arizona
- 8-10 years old – Lilliana Dawson, 8 years old, from Osolo Elementary, Indiana
- 11 years and older – Caitlin Tynanes, 12 years old, from Kapolei Middle School, Hawaii
“Our entire team was inspired by the students’ creativity. There is so much positive energy and heart in each work,” said Bob Parks, vice president of human resources at Safe Fleet. “The coloring contest brought together educators, children and parents to talk about bullying prevention. We congratulate the winners and thank all the participants for their hard work!”
