HAYFIELD TOWNSHIP — Snowflakes made an early appearance Thursday afternoon behind Saegertown Junior-Senior High, and despite the warmer-usual-weather, those same flurries should be visible in the area for months to come.

The snowflakes were part of a design conceived and executed by a group of students, mostly members of the school’s Art Club or art teacher Angie Granat’s classes, for a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation snow plow. The massive plow blade rested on two wooden pallets in a corner of the parking lot as seven young artists added finishing touches, some partially hidden underneath the curve of the blade, others crouched in front of the rubber deflector flap that hangs down in front.

“It’s coming along well,” Granat said of the winter-themed painting project. “The kids are very talented and it’s impressive to watch them work together as a team — collaborate and take turns — because there’s a lot of interest but only so many people will fit under the plow to paint on the blade.”

The project is part of PennDOT’s Paint the Plow program, an awareness campaign that incorporates an art competition. Last year, 76 schools painted plows and more than 23,000 online votes were cast in determining the fan favorite in addition to a judges’ selection for best design. It has been about a decade since a PENNCREST School District school participated in the program, according to Granat.

While the first step in this year’s project was cleaning the dormant plow, Saegertown students were eager to get to work, Granat said. Nearly 20 students ranging from seventh to 12th grade worked on designing, prepping and painting the blade.

“It’s a nice break from sitting at a desk all day — it gets us outside,” said junior Julie Tatters, the vice president of the school’s Art Club. “It’s fun, especially for the younger kids, because it’s very inclusive for all the ages.”

Working beside Tatters on the deflector flap was Art Club President Anna Bradshaw.

“I like painting in general, so it’s fun to paint on a bigger ‘canvas,’ that’s not really a canvas, for once because, obviously, I don’t have a snow plow I can paint at home,” Bradshaw, a sophomore, said with a laugh.

“It gives you more room to be creative,” Tatters agreed.

Seventh-grader Madison Whitman, who contributed the deer, the snow in front of the snowplow and other design elements, appreciated the chance to work on the project as well.

“I like painting and designing things and hanging out with friends to do it,” Whitman said.

The theme for this year’s program, selected by PennDOT, is “Don’t race. Allow some space” and it’s a message spelled out across the deflector that hangs from the top of the plow’s moldboard. Resting on a bed of snow, the message features a large “Don’t,” each letter topped by a dusting of flurries. To give drivers a visual cue, the final word of the message is separated from the beginning of the phrase by an appropriately long “space.”

Above the deflector, where the top of the steel moldboard curves over like the lip of a crashing wave, the background is Saegertown blue with golden panther prints and the initials SHS extending across. Underneath, on the face of the plow or the interior of that crashing wave shape, various images related to winter can be seen against a snowy white background: a snow-covered school bus, a PennDOT snow plow, a deer, snowmen and more.

It’s a message that local drivers are likely to see in action. The plow is expected to be used to clear routes 6 and 322 between Conneaut Lake and Meadville, according to Granat.

Following the finishing touches Thursday, Granat planned to add a clear coat to extend the life of the design before PennDOT staff members come to pick up the plow on Monday. The competition guidelines encourage the effort to preserve the paint job but also include a warning.

“It should be expected that the design on a given plow blade will wear away once the blade is put into service for snow and ice removal,” PennDOT tells program participants.

With that wear and tear in mind, PennDOT plans to hold online voting for the fan favorite plow design in December. Information on how to vote will be posted to PennDOT’s social media accounts and is expected to be shared through the school and district pages as well.

Before salt, snow and other elements take their toll on the plow image, there should be plenty of time to view the finished painting. As students worked Thursday, they were pleased with the effort and confident that area drivers would notice their handiwork.

“I think it looks pretty good,” Whitman said. “It’s going to be pretty easy to see with the giant letters.”



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *