LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."

 

The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 

 

The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 

 

The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 

 

The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 

 

"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  

 

"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."

 

Wagner's class won in the Grades 5 to 8 category; Tabitha Shearer's fourth-grade class at Colrain Central School won in the K-4 category with "Master Snowda."

 

District 1 covers all of Berkshire County and the towns of Ashfield, Colrain, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Monroe, Rowe and Shelburne in Franklin County; Blandford, Chester, Granville, Montgomery, Russell and Tolland in Hampden County; and Charlemont, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Middlefield, Plainfield and Worthington in Hampshire County.

 

Past Berkshire winners include last year's "Snowana" from Grade 2 at Morris Elementary in Lenox and "Ice Ice Baby" from the fifth-grade class at Pine Cobble School in Williamstown. Fourth-graders at Crosby Elementary School in Pittsfield won with "Flurry Fighter" the year before. 

 

"MassDOT's annual 'Name a Snowplow' contest is a fun tradition that gets Massachusetts schools involved in winter safety," said Undersecretary and State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. "It gives students a chance to be creative while learning about the important work our crews do to keep our roads clear and safe. Thank you to everyone who took part in this contest, and congratulations to our winners."