Photo and story by Brian McKim
A surprise was in store for the students at South School on Wednesday, December 6. At 9:30 a.m., the students assembled in the gymnasium for a special announcement. Few people outside Principal Shelly Leyden and Assistant Principal Wendy Craig knew what was in store for one lucky student.
Brandon Varilek, NDOT District 1 Engineer, began the presentation by asking the children questions. Varilek then told the audience he was there because someone in attendance won a contest, the “Name-a-Snowplow Contest.”
Fourth-grader Scott Bachman received the thrill of his life and a rousing round of applause from his classmates as his name was announced as the winner of the contest for District 1 in Nebraska. As he beamed from ear to ear, Scott was asked if he remembered the name he entered for the competition.
“A Little Pushy,” replied Scott, still grinning.
Scott was chosen as one of two winners out of 129 different entries for District 1.
Scott was presented with a few souvenirs for his achievement. First, he received a letter from the NDOT Director Vicki Kramer, congratulating him on his win. Next, Scott was presented with a miniature snowplow that read “A Little Pushy” on top. Finally, Scott was given a small road sign that read, “Nebraska Department of Transportation, Name-A-Snowplow 2023 winner, A Little Pushy.”
“Remember, the next time it snows, your parents or maybe your teachers can go online and they can use the Plow Tracker App and they can see where ‘Little Pushy’ is driving out in the state,” said Varilek.
After the awards, Varilek invited the students to go outside and inspect the new snowplow, which was met with excitement from the children.
NDOT’s Name-A-Snowplow contest kicks off the annual winter operations season and is a tool for young children to learn more about winter safety in Nebraska. December marked the third year of the contest, naming 16 students across the eight districts to win the award.
