MassDOT Announces the Winners of the Name A Snowplow Contest

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BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced the winners of the second annual, "Name A Snowplow" contest for statewide elementary and middle school students in Massachusetts. 
 
The winning plow names are Flower Plower, Edward Blizzardhands, Glacier Gobbler, Polar Pathmaker, Snow B Wan Kenobi, The Snolar Express, Sleetwood Mac, Snow Place Like Home, Snow-hemian Rhapsody, The Mayplower, Snow Monstah, Fast and Flurryous. 
 
This contest received entries from public school classrooms from across Massachusetts. The contest chose names for 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during this 2023/2024 winter season. The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to help recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during the winter season.? 
 
"Keeping our roads across Massachusetts clear and safe every winter is a tough job. We are glad to see educators engage their students in a fun competition that pays tribute to this essential public service," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "I want to congratulate the winning classrooms and look forward to seeing all of the snowplows in the field." ??? ? 
 
The 12 winning classrooms are listed below. 
 
Winning Submissions for K through 4th Grade 
 
District 1 
 
Chester Elementary School 
 
Chester 
 
4th, Mikayla Menin  
 
Flower Plower 
 
District 2 
 
Franklin Avenue Elementary 
 
Westfield 
 
1st, McKenna Mortimer  
 
Glacier Gobbler 
 
District 3 
 
Heritage School 
 
Charlton 
 
3rd, Beth Simoncini 
 
Snow B Wan Kenobi 
 
District 4 
 
Linden STEAM Academy 
 
Malden 
 
4th, Katie Carter 
 
Sleetwood Mac 
 
District 5 
 
Brookfield Elementary School 
 
Brockton 
 
4th, Catelynn Maloney 
 
Snow-hemian Rhapsody 
 
District 6 
 
UP Academy Dorchester 
 
Boston 
 
4th, Katherine Brea 
 
Snow Monstah 
 
Winning Submissions for 5th through 8th Grade 
 
District 1 
 
Buckland Shelburne Elementary School 
 
Shelburne Falls 
 
6th, David Conlon 
 
Edward Blizzardhands 
 
District 2 
 
Mahar Regional 
 
Orange 
 
8th, Kyle Magoffin 
 
Polar Pathmaker 
 
District 3 
 
Burgess Elementary School 
 
Sturbridge 
 
5th, Melissa Forni 
 
The Snolar Express 
 
District 4 
 
William Diamond Middle School 
 
Lexington 
 
8th, Cecilia Vosland 
 
Snow Place Like Home 
 
District 5 
 
Orleans Elementary School 
 
Orleans 
 
5th, Cirrus Farber 
 
The Mayplower 
 
District 6 
 
Pollard Middle School 
 
Needham 
 
7th, Ken Lundberg 
 
Fast and Flurryous 
 

Applications for the Snowplow Naming Contest were submitted by Friday, December 1, 2023. There was no limit to the number of applications that could have been submitted per school.? 

A selection panel composed of MassDOT employees chose two elementary school classroom winners that are located within each of the six Highway Division districts.? The winning submissions were evaluated based on two grade-level categories: 1) kindergarten through fourth grade, and 2) fifth grade through eighth grade.? 

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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