CM Students ‘Paint the Plow’ Is Back

RecordStaffOctober 10, 2019Last Updated: October 10, 2019

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Participating students, on the left, from the left, Jessalyn Myers, Akerya Caruso, Addison Hibbler; atop the plow, Gage Rhine, Julian Zuback, Kirin Donoughe, Andrew Corter; on the right, Carlie Hall, Kelly Dietrich, Natalie Brown, instructor Ashley Rippey.

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – Students in Ashley Rippey’s exploratory art class have completed their entry in PennDOT’s Paint the Plow program. The finished product was unveiled for the media Thursday outside Rippey’s classroom at Central Mountain High School.

This is the second year for Central Mountain’s participation in Paint the Plow, a community outreach program in which students are invited to paint a PennDOT snow plow blade with original artwork to represent their individual school.

Gage Rhine, student spokesman for the project, said the Wildcat, the school’s mascot, was placed behind the mountains on the blade of the plow, placed there to encourage motorists to slow down during winter weather.

Students had been working on the plow for several weeks, first sanding it down and then painting it. Mrs. Rippey said the finished product is a functioning plow and PennDOT will use it this winter in the vicinity of district schools when applicable. Last year’s plow can be seen along Route 150, near the high school, at a PennDOT site.

In announcing the program a year ago, PennDOT said traditionally the plows from the Paint the Plow program are visible and in full service during the winter-weather months, the blades are used within the school’s community to enhance public awareness, promote safety, and foster greater appreciation of both Penn DOT and the school’s art program.

Mrs. Rippey said the public will soon have an opportunity to go online and vote for their favorite plow as painted by high schools from within PennDOT’s Clearfield district.