Students decorate ODOT plows for America’s 250th
Contributed WORK OF ART — Seventh and eighth graders at Harding Middle School painted symbols of the United States of America on a snow plow used by the Ohio Department of Transportation. It is one of four painted by youth in Jefferson County as part of ODOT’s Paint-the-Plow program.
Contributed ARTISTS — Art students from Steubenville High School crouched under an Ohio Department of Transportation snow plow as they prepared to paint the images of four past U.S. presidents and an American eagle. Among several students involved with the effort were, from left, Tyiease Palmer, Ciara Fiedorczyk, Vitoria Rabelo Da Silva Yendo and Emily Nunez.
Contributed PUTTING THEIR STAMP ON WINTER — In response to an invitation from the Ohio Department of Transportation to paint a snow plow reflecting the nation's 250th birthday, students at Steubenville High School depicted four presidents from various eras, including the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War. It is one of four painted by youth in Jefferson County.
Contributed WORK OF ART — Seventh and eighth graders at Harding Middle School painted symbols of the United States of America on a snow plow used by the Ohio Department of Transportation. It is one of four painted by youth in Jefferson County as part of ODOT’s Paint-the-Plow program.
Contributed ARTISTS — Art students from Steubenville High School crouched under an Ohio Department of Transportation snow plow as they prepared to paint the images of four past U.S. presidents and an American eagle. Among several students involved with the effort were, from left, Tyiease Palmer, Ciara Fiedorczyk, Vitoria Rabelo Da Silva Yendo and Emily Nunez.
Contributed PUTTING THEIR STAMP ON WINTER — In response to an invitation from the Ohio Department of Transportation to paint a snow plow reflecting the nation's 250th birthday, students at Steubenville High School depicted four presidents from various eras, including the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War. It is one of four painted by youth in Jefferson County.
STEUBENVILLE -- Area residents may notice a patriotic touch on Ohio Department of Transportation snowplows this winter as four blades painted by Jefferson County students commemorate America’s 250th birthday.
The plows were decorated through ODOT’s annual Paint-the-Plow program, which this year encouraged participants to create designs honoring the nation’s semiquincentennial.
“In recognition of America’s 250th birthday this year, participants were encouraged to create designs that honor our nation or recognize Ohio’s national contributions,” said Loren Borell, public information officer for ODOT District 11. “These decorated blades will be displayed at local community events before being used in regular winter operations, usually within the same school district that painted the plow.”
Students from Steubenville High School, Harding Middle School and Indian Creek High School, along with members of the Break Away Bandits 4-H Club of Jefferson County, accepted the challenge, using brushes and oil-based paint to transform the plow blades with patriotic imagery.
Under the direction of art instructor Emily Miller, Steubenville High School students painted portraits of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy surrounding a bald eagle.
Miller said students in her Advanced Art class first created sketches as part of a weekly assignment before school administrators selected a design by Ciara Fiedorczyk.
Fiedorczyk was joined by classmates Vitoria Rabelo Da Silva Yendo, Tyiease Palmer, Clare Croskey, Aaniyah Custalow, Emily Nunez, Angelina Ranaudo, Elijiah Ferguson, Travis Young-Rouse, Lara Everett and Jackson Owen to complete the project.
“Miller said Fiedorczyk was thrilled to see her sketch reproduced on the large plow.”
Harding Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade students painted “Happy Birthday, America” across the plow’s deflector, adding an American flag, bald eagle, apple pie and football below. Teacher Amanda Wineman said the design was a collaborative effort.
Indian Creek High School students created a design featuring an American flag, bald eagle and the word “America,” with the letters “IC” highlighted in block lettering. The deflector reads, “IC celebrates Amazing America’s 250th birthday.”
The Break Away Bandits 4-H Club decorated its plow with a large American flag and four-leaf clovers, representing the organization’s values of head, heart, hands and health.
ODOT’s Paint-the-Plow program began in 2014 in District 1 and has since expanded statewide. Borell said Jefferson County had the highest participation this year. There are 70 snowplows stationed at the Jefferson County garage and about 1,600 statewide.
She noted the painted blades are displayed at community events before entering winter service, where exposure to snow, salt and debris eventually wears away the artwork. At season’s end, the blades are repainted a neutral color and prepared for the next year’s artists.
“The Paint-the-Plow program is a bridge between ODOT and the communities we serve, offering a unique platform for local students and non-profits to showcase their artistic talents,” Borell said. “By turning our plows into mobile canvases, we do more than just plow roads. We are driving the heart and pride of the communities we serve onto our roadways throughout our snow and ice season.”