North Allegheny students take top honors in national school bus safety competition

Two students from the North Allegheny School District who placed among the top entries in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation School Bus Safety Poster Contest also took top awards at the national level.

Anaya Pushkarna, 7, a third-grader at Bradford Woods Elementary School, took first place for the kindergarten to grade two category.

Yanning Maria Jiao, 11, a sixth-grader at Ingomar Middle School, took second place in the grade three to grade five category. She was in fifth grade when she submitted the poster.

The theme of the contest was, "My Driver, My Safety Hero." It was intended to reflect the trust parents and students put in their school bus drivers every day. Thousands of school districts in over 40 states participate in local and state-level competitions, according to the National Association for Pupil Transportation, which runs the contest.

Jamie Martines is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at jmartines@tribweb.com, 724-850-2867 or on Twitter @Jamie_Martines.