NEWS RELEASES 2008-09

NEWS RELEASES 2008-09 :: JANUARY 14, 2009

SCHOOL BUS SAFETY POSTER CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Three North Carolina elementary school students and one middle school student received top honors in North Carolina's 2008 National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest, "Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm."

The 2008 poster contest winners are:

• Parker Greene, a student at Cleveland Elementary (Rowan-Salisbury Schools), was the Division 1 (K-2 grades) winner again this year. He won first place last year in the same category.
• Abby Martin, a student at Mount Ulla Elementary (Rowan-Salisbury Schools), won first place in Division 2 (3-5 grades).
• Danielle Hancock, a student at Elm City Middle (Wilson County Schools), won first place in Division 3 (6-8 grades).
• Malik Thompson, a student at Woodleaf Elementary (Rowan-Salisbury Schools), won first place in the Exceptional Children Division.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Transportation Services Division Section Chief Derek Graham said, "These students did an excellent job of visually driving home the importance of motorists being cautious around school buses. Their creative posters could really help save lives."

The national poster contest officials selected the official poster theme for National School Bus Safety Week 2009 (October 19-23). This year's theme, "Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm," is an important message to motorists, highlighting the importance of paying careful attention while driving - ESPECIALLY in the vicinity of a school bus. In an annual one-day count held in March 2008, North Carolina school bus drivers reported 2,325 instances of motorists passing school buses stopped with red lights flashing and stop arm extended.

Each of the first place winners received a plaque featuring their artwork and an MP3 player preloaded with instructional school bus safety audio files. Winning posters are featured on the state's school bus safety Web site at www.ncbussafety.org. First place winners also competed in the National School Bus Safety Poster Contest, held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in October 2008.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the Governor's Highway Safety Program sponsor the awards program. For more information on school bus safety, visit the School Bus Safety Web site at www.ncbussafety.org or contact the NCDPI's Communications division at 919.807.3450.

About the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction:
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides leadership to 115 local public school districts and 107 charter schools serving over 1.5 million students in kindergarten through high school graduation. The agency is responsible for all aspects of the state's public school system and works under the direction of the North Carolina State Board of Education.

For more information:
NCDPI Communications and Information, 919.807.3450.