The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is inviting Vermont elementary schools to name the state’s big orange snowplows.
“Many of us saw the news coverage that went viral last year about the tradition in Scotland of naming their snowplows. While keeping Vermont’s roads safe for winter travel is serious business, naming the plows sounded like fun,” said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn in a news release Oct. 4. “We hope that Vermonters will support this opportunity for children throughout our state to see the name they created on a snowplow that is maintaining Vermont’s highways.”
The agency received many inquiries from the public last winter about whether it would consider naming its snowplows.
The new Name a Plow program offers an opportunity for children to put on their thinking caps and come up with creative names for AOT’s snowplows. The fleet has 250 full-size plows, and the agency will aim to match every participating school with a truck.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for students to work together to name a snowplow that will keep the roads around their school safe,” said Secretary of Education Dan French. “This is a great way for students to learn about the important work that goes into making Vermont a wonderful place to live, work, and play in the winter months. I urge Vermont schools to participate in the Name a Plow program.”
Each school may enter one name, and all appropriate names will be accepted.
“Killington would love to participate and name a big orange plow truck along with our school’s name on the side,” wrote Killington Elementary School Principal Mary Guggenberger in the school’s e-newsletter, Oct. 8. “Classrooms will begin talking about this effort next week… Let’s put on our marketing hats and get creative!”
The agency will assign each name to an orange truck at the maintenance district garage located closest to the school. District plow drivers will visit each school with the truck that it named. A decal or sign displaying the plow name and the school name will be placed on each named truck.
The deadline to submit a name is Oct. 22.
