Two South Carolina fifth-grade students won first and second place in a national poster contest as part of National Transportation Week.

The national first place winner was Sean Connor of Whittaker Elementary School in Orangeburg. Mitch Garrett, of Fork Shoals School in Greenville, was national second place winner. 

There were only three national winners in the contest sponsored by the US Department of Transportation, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Engineering Society of Detroit. Local sponsors included the SC Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Division Administration South Carolina Division and the South Carolina Alliance to Fix Our Roads (SC FOR).

Across South Carolina, there were more than 1,100 entries from students participating in the poster contest.

In a ceremony held in Columbia on May 15, the first prize winner received a $200 savings bond to the student and $500 award to the student’s school. The second prize winner received a $100 savings bond to the student and $200 award to the student’s school.

           During the ceremony, 86 students were honored as 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place winners in their respective counties. In addition,  7  Highway  District Winners and the State Winner were announced. Sean Connor also was the State Winner. 

The theme of this year’s poster contest was, “One Nation On The Move.”

Held on May 11-17, 2008, National Transportation Week provides an opportunity for the transportation community to join together for greater awareness about the importance of transportation. National Transportation Week also focuses on making youth aware of transportation-related careers.

The First Place National Winner in the Transportation Week "One Nation On The Move" poster contest is 5th grader Sean Connor (front, center holding plaque) of Whittaker Elementary School in Orangeburg. The award was presented to him in Columbia on May 15. Shown from left are: John Connor (his father), Harolyn Conner (his mother),  Ashton Conner (his brother), Jae Mattox of the South Carolina section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Sean Connor, SCDOT Deputy Secretary of Finance and Administration Debra Rountree, SC Division Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration Bob Lee, SC Alliance to Fix Our Roads Executive Director Debbie Bass, SCDOT Deputy Secretary For Engineering Tony Chapman and FHWA Office of Professional and Corporate Development Associate Administrator Joe Toole.

This photo is available at:

http://www.scdot-transfer.org/scdotphotos/POSTER/National1.jpg 

The Second Place National Winner in the Transportation Week "One Nation On The Move" poster contest is 5th grader Mitch Garrett, center, Fork Shoals School in Greenville. The award was presented to him in Columbia on May 15.

Presenting the award to him are Jae Mattox of the South Carolina section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, left, and FHWA Office of Professional and Corporate Development Associate Administrator Joe Toole.

This photo is available at:

 http://www.scdot-transfer.org/scdotphotos/POSTER/National2.jpg

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