Shields Elementary student wins state plow-naming contest
State and local leaders celebrated Shields Elementary fifth-grader Lily Touw Feb. 16 for winning Delaware Department of Transportation’s inaugural plow-naming contest for Sussex County.
DelDOT and local representatives were on hand to congratulate Lily for her winning entry The Unfrostables and to inform students how the state prepares roads before snowstorms, and how plowing is conducted during and after snowfall.
Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski said the contest opened in December to elementary schools statewide. About 100 students submitted entries to name the plow, and one student entry from each county was selected.
Majeski presented Lily with a gift bag and sticker with the plow name and school name that Lily proudly placed on the door of the plow truck before jumping inside to honk the horn.
DelDOT has more than 300 pieces of snow-removal equipment statewide, and is responsible for treating and plowing almost 14,000 lane miles of roadway.
“We’ve had a lot of snowstorms this winter,” DelDOT Director of Community Relations Charles “C.R.” McLeod said, adding that the award presentation gave students insight into how the state ensures roads are safe for travelers.
