Friday, the Poplarville School District’s Transportation Director Ed Sternod recognized the winners of the district’s second annual school bus coloring contest at the Poplarville Lower and Upper Elementary schools.

Sternod, along with transportation employees, visited both schools and gave prizes to the winning students. Sterndon said the contest was part of the National School Bus Safety Week in October and it gave students a chance to learn about bus safety.

“This year we had 150 submissions from students at both schools, which was great,” Sternod said.

Out of the 150 submissions, they chose to recognize 20 students in total. The two overall winners from the lower and upper elementary were second-grader Catlyn High and fourth-grader Olivia Phillips respectively.

Phillips said she was proud to win the contest.

“I can’t stop smiling,” Phillips said.

Sternod said the district started the contest in order to teach children proper bus safety. He told students at the upper elementary, “You got to follow the rules and be safe when you’re taking the bus.”

Hilda Harwell, assistant principal at the upper elementary, said she’s proud of her students.

“We’re so proud of the exceptional job our students do. Being a bus driver is difficult and we appreciate all the hard work our bus drivers and Ed does to keep our students safe,” Harwell said.

Sternod said it’s essential to teach children about bus safety at an early age.

“This will help them prepare for middle and high school and understand bus rules like staying seated while the bus is in motion and talking softly,” Sternod said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest mode of motorized transportation for getting children to and from school, but injuries can occur if kids are not careful and aware when getting on and off the bus.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation offered several tips in a press release about how parents can ensure younger children are safe when boarding or exiting a school bus:

—Parents should accompany their children to the bus stop and wait with them until the bus arrives.

—They should advise children to stand at least three steps away from the curb and board the bus one at a time.

—Teach kids to wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before getting off and to never walk behind the bus.

—If children need to cross the street after exiting a bus, they should take five giant steps in front of the bus, make eye contact with the bus driver and cross when the driver indicates it’s safe.

Sternod said he hopes to continue the contest for many years to come.