TRUCKEE, Calif. — The Tahoe Truckee Unified School District's transportation department recently held its annual school bus safety poster contest to raise awareness of the importance of school bus safety.

This contest is held in conjunction with the California Association of School Transportation Officials (CASTO) annual competition, and for the first time ever, a student from TTUSD — Anahy Valdez, a fifth-grader at Truckee Elementary — won the "Best in State" award.

The contest offers a fun way for students to take an active role in promoting safety. This year's theme was a Bully Free Zone, a complement to the focus the transportation department has on educating students on the importance of safe space with your seat-mate on the school bus.

The transportation department follows the BEST (Building Effective Schools Together) program, a character behavior program that is implemented at all of TTUSD's elementary schools.

"School bus transportation has a very positive effect on a student's overall day. The driver is the first and last person they see each day and our students have positive relationships with their bus drivers," said Nanette Rondeau, TTUSD's Director of Transportation. "Our students look forward to the annual school bus poster contest. They're enthusiastic to participate and help promote safety. We are very proud of our young artists."

Participation within the school district was high, with more than 170 elementary and middle school students participating.

All the TTUSD entries were submitted to the regional CASTO competition, and TTUSD had winners in each division.

All regional winners went on to the state competition, and Valdez won first place in her division and first place overall for the state of California.

TTUSD's Board of Education will be honoring all the local winners at the April 1 board meeting.

This article was submitted to the Sun by the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. Visit ttusd.org to learn more.