More than 600 fifth-grade students across the country accepted the challenge to commemorate the 43rd annual National Transportation Week (NTW) by creating original posters illustrating “America on the Move.”
The winner of the poster contest, Taylor Morgan Cunningham of Freehold Learning Center Elementary School in Freehold, NJ, took first prize, earning a $200 United States Savings Bond for herself and $500 for her school. Acting Deputy Secretary Kirk K. Van Tine unveiled the top contest entries at the NTW Transportation and Travel Conference at the Washington, DC Convention Center.
Cunningham was one of three students to win awards in the poster contest that celebrates the role of transportation in everyday life. The winning poster shows travel by train, automobile, airplane, boat, bicycle and skateboard, as well as a stop sign for safety.
“Transportation has never been more important to America’s future than it is right now,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said. “All of the students did a fantastic job capturing the role of transportation in our daily lives.”
The second place poster was submitted by Kaili Azure Owens of Pershing Hill Elementary School, Ft. Meade, MD. Her interpretation of the theme included a map of the United States circled by all forms of transportation from bicycle to rocket. Owens received a $100 savings bond, and her school, a check for $200.
The third place poster, also featuring many modes of transportation, was submitted by Lillian Chen from Mountview Road School in Morris Plains, NJ. Chen received a $100 savings bond, and her school received a $100 check.
Participating students represented 125 schools. The annual poster contest is meant to get students thinking about the many ways transportation affects people.
Tom Brahms, Executive Director of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), presented the $200 savings bond and a plaque to the first place winner. The contest sponsors included ITE, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and Amtrak. The winning posters will be posted on the Internet at www.ntweek.org.
National Transportation Week this year is May 16-22. National Transportation Week has been observed since 1962 when it was established by a Congressional joint resolution; National Defense Transportation Day has been observed since 1957.
