Citizens who live in the Falls Church High School area may do a double take when they see snowplows whizzing through their neighborhoods this winter. Some of the plows will sport original designs created by health sciences students at Falls Church Academy, who put their knowledge and artistic talents to work in late August. The students painted information and artwork representing their programs on the plow blades, provided by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

Students in the Medical Assistant, Exploring Health Sciences, and Fire and Emergency Medical Technician programs were able to work on the plows during the first full week of the 2017-18 school year. Falls Church Academy career experience specialist Jill Burrer attended a meeting at VDOT last year and learned that the state agency was offering snowplows for students to paint. Burrer requested three plows—one for each of the classes interested in participating—to work with.

The students included background information and facts about their individual programs as well as medical information that could be helpful to citizens. “We are excited to participate in this as a way to get the word out about our academy and the medical classes we offer,” says Burrer. “We thought the students would enjoy designing the plows using medical symbols and terminology that represent what they will be studying in class.”

Once the student painting was finished, VDOT arranged to pick up the plows and get them ready for use during any upcoming winter storms.

VDOT representative Jenni McCord said the agency heard about a similar program being done in other states and thought it would be a fun activity to replicate in Virginia in an effort to promote a positive image with local high school students and, possibly, encourage the students to consider VDOT for employment after graduation. Students could use school logos or mascots; the health sciences students chose to use items and information from their programs. Other area schools interested in participating in the program can contact VDOT at 1-800-FOR-ROAD or on Twitter @VaDOTNOVA.