Greater Mercer TMA (GMTMA) announced the winners of the eighth Safe Routes to School Bookmark Design Contest. Third through fifth graders in Mercer and Ocean County were asked to create a bookmark design with the theme “Design your ideal street for walking and biking to school. What would it look like? ” GMTMA applauds all the students that participated in the contest for their creative entries.
“ It’s so important that streets are designed as Complete Streets, meaning they are safe, comfortable and accessible for all people- whether you’re eight or eighty, walking, riding a bike or using transit,” said Cheryl Kastrenakes Executive Director of GMTMA. “The students intuitively understood this, saying that their streets were ideal because they had their own place to walk and ride, had paths, crossing guards and sidewalks, few cars, and even a bridge that went over the cars. We continue to be impressed each year with their creative and thoughtful entries. ”
The Mercer County winners are Andrew Dauber, Lawrence Intermediate School and Hazel Fitzgerald, Community Park Elementary School (Princeton).
The Ocean County winners are Savannah Fischer, McKinley Elementary School (Stafford) and Adriana Rodriguez, South Toms River Elementary School.
Each winner received a $50 gift card and had their bookmarks professionally printed. The winning bookmarks are being distributed at many Mercer and Ocean County schools and libraries.
GMTMA serves as the NJ Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School coordinator for Mercer County and works with schools, communities and PTOs to encourage more students to walk and bike to school safely and to improve the areas where it is not safe. If you would like more information about the Safe Routes to School Program please contact us at tma at gmtma.org.