HERSHEY, PA — A Chester County school bus driver placed second in Pennsylvania’s statewide driving safety competition, joining two other drivers and 10 students honored Wednesday, October 21, by the Shapiro administration for their contributions to school transportation safety.
Joanne Cowan of Krapf School Bus in Chester County earned second place in the conventional bus category of the 47th State School Bus Driver Safety Competition, which tested nearly 50 drivers on their knowledge and driving skills.
Angela Martin of Brightbill Transport in Lancaster County won first place, while Pamela Little of Krise Transportation in Berks County finished third.
The competition took place in June at Bald Eagle Area High School in Bellefonte, Centre County. Participants completed a written examination and demonstrated their driving abilities on a closed course.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania State Police recognized the winners during a ceremony at the Hershey Antique Automobile Museum as part of School Bus Safety Week, observed October 19-23.
The recognition comes as school buses transport more than 1.4 million Pennsylvania students daily, making driver performance and motorists’ behavior important components of school transportation safety.
“School Bus Safety Week gives everyone an opportunity to pause and realize just how much our own actions behind the wheel can affect innocent, young lives,” said Dios Arroyo, PennDOT’s director of driver licensing.
The ceremony also recognized 10 students whose artwork was selected from 92 entries in the 2026 School Bus Safety Poster Contest.
The competition’s theme, “Safe Rides – Everyday Heroes,” focused on communicating the importance of safe school transportation.
Two Pennsylvania students also earned recognition in the national competition held in August.
Maria Montero of J.M. Hill Elementary School in East Stroudsburg, Monroe County, won first place nationally in the grades 3-5 division. Bilal Shayan of Bradford Woods Elementary School in Allegheny County placed second nationally in the kindergarten through second-grade division.
Both students had won first place in their respective Pennsylvania divisions.
The remaining state poster contest winners were:
Kindergarten Through Grade 2
- First Place: Bilal Shayan, Bradford Woods Elementary School, Allegheny County
- Second Place: Jada Bernard, East Stroudsburg Elementary School, Monroe County
- Third Place: Betsy Belmont, New Hope Solebury Lower Elementary School, Bucks County
Grades 3-5
- First Place: Maria Montero, J.M. Hill Elementary School, Monroe County
- Second Place: Saieesh Kovelakuntla, Franklin Elementary School, Allegheny County
- Third Place: Jeilyn Gutierrez-Torres, J.M. Hill Elementary School, Monroe County
Grades 6-8
- First Place: Hailey Struble, Bald Eagle Middle School, Centre County
- Second Place: Gracelyn Glunt, Bald Eagle Middle School, Centre County
- Third Place: Raegan Johns, Brockway Area Junior High School, Jefferson County
Special Education
- First Place: Lilyonna Bednar, Wilson Area Intermediate School, Northampton County
No qualifying entries were submitted in the computer-aided poster category.
PennDOT and state police officials presented the student winners with certificates and trophies during the ceremony.
“School bus drivers are on the front lines and in the public eye every day ensuring the safety of our children as they travel to and from school and activities,” said Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Zeina Black, a supervisor in the agency’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Division.
Gov. Josh Shapiro designated October 19-23 as School Bus Safety Week in Pennsylvania, reinforcing the state’s annual emphasis on safe driving practices around school transportation vehicles.
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