Roxbury Village School students gather around “Snow BEEst” Nov. 16. Photo by Carla Occaso.
Roxbury Village School students got to see the big VTrans plow truck they had named “Snow BEEst” on Nov. 16 — coincidentally on the first big snow of the season.
The entire school gathered at 9 a.m. to see the plow truck they had spent days naming. To arrive at a final name, students first brainstormed hundreds of names, which were then voted on by all the students and adults in the school. Although there were many suggested names, “Snow BEEst” pulled out in front and stayed there during the voting process.
Cynthia McPhetres, librarian and art teacher, explained how she came up with and executed the project. The idea started last year when she heard about the VTrans “Name a Plow” initiative in the news media. She also noticed plow trucks named by students at other schools around Vermont. The entire list can be seen here.
But, back at Roxbury Village School, McPhetres introduced the idea during library class this fall. She asked students to come up with names that related to the school’s mascot: the honeybee. One student, fourth grader Chance Nuen, came up with “Maple Blizzard,” “Ice Busters, “ “Snowy Powder Bee,” and “Snow BEEst,” among others. Hers was ultimately chosen. Other names included “Honey Frost,” “Salty Honey,” and “Snow Puppy.” Each class came up with a list of names. At the end of each class, students voted on the ones they liked best. During the following class, McPhetres gave students names from all classes from which to choose.
Roxbury’s ‘honey bees’ buzzed with excitement the day the plow arrived.
Once the name was decided, principal Beth Kellogg submitted it to the VTrans “Name a Plow” project. “With our first plowable snow of the year, having our very own snow plow is an exciting way to usher in winter weather. The students were very excited to see the ‘Snow BEEst.’ I know they’ll think of this experience each time they see our snowplow out on the road,” said Kellogg.
McPhetres said the project went over very well. “Kids loved doing this! They were very excited! The enthusiasm for this project was huge!” Additionally, students got to collaborate on a whole-school project that involved voting, using the democratic process.
Roxbury Village School first grader Payton Langlois signs the plow of “SnowBEEst,” the plow truck that cleans snow off the roads in Roxbury. Photo by Carla Occaso
