Press Releases - Department of Transportation
Ride On Bus 50th Anniversary Art Contest Winners Announced
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is excited to announce the winners of the Ride On 50th Anniversary Art Contest, which recently celebrated 50 years of Ride On bus service in Montgomery County. The contest was open to all Montgomery County middle school students and ran from March 15 - April 15.
After reviewing 96 entries, the winning entry received a $100 gift card, second place entry received a $75 gift card, and third place received a $50 gift card. The first-place winner's artwork will be displayed inside all 400 Ride On buses.
The winning posters and the artists’ names are listed below.
1ST PLACE WINNER: Laura Jin - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
2ND PLACE WINNER: Ava Lutgendorf - North Bethesda Middle School
3RD PLACE WINNER: Jenny Gong - Rocky Hill Middle School
Finalists' art will be featured alongside the top three winners on an art tour around Montgomery County government buildings, details of which will be announced soon. All winners and their art can be found on the Ride On website.
Finalists are listed below.
- Leia Baudoin, Rocky Hill Middle School
- Arzo Rahimi, Takoma Park Middle School
- Benjamin Li, Herbert Hoover Middle School
- Carina Araujo, Barnesville School of Arts and Sciences
- Piper Russell, Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
- Saanvi Lanke, Shady Grove Middle School
- Ahyoon Kim, Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
Herbert Hoover Middle School was the school with the most entries (24) and received a $500 gift card for art supplies. A special thank you to Mr. Brian Ostry whose class participated in the contest and made up the majority of the school's entries.
The MCDOT Ride On team also extends a special tanks to Donna Kleffman, Coordinator of Student Leadership and Service Learning (SSL) at MCPS for her help ensuring each participant received SSL hours for their entry.
“Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's contest,” said MCDOT Ride On General Manager Phil Mclaughlin. “Your creativity brought joy and color to MCDOT Ride On's 50th Anniversary celebrations, and we are proud to showcase your work.”
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Media Contact: Emily DeTitta, 240-372-2282
