Mercer High School won the Fan Favorite award in this year's Paint the Plow contest hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

This year, the public had the opportunity to vote for 8 plows decorated by high school students in the area. 

Paint the Plow is a statewide outreach program aimed at promoting winter driving safety and fostering appreciation for high school art programs and student creativity. 

Earlier teens from the northwest region designed and painted PennDOT plow blades based on this year's theme "Use Your Reason When it's Freezing". The theme was chosen to remind motorists to practice safe driving during the winter season. 

Students from the following schools participated: 

  • Rocky Grove High School 
  • Oil City High School 
  • Sheffield Area Middle/High School 
  • Youngsville Middle/High School 
  • Eisenhower Middle/High School 
  • Mercer High School 
  • West Middlesex High School 
  • Tidioute Charter School 

Mercer High School received 557 votes to win the 2024 fan Favorite award. The winning plow depicts a distracted driver looking at their cell phone while the passenger in the vehicle points out deer on the roadway ahead of them. The license plate displays this year's theme.

Oil City High School won the Judges' Pick award. That award is determined by PennDOT personnel. This plow showcased a vehicle traveling along a roadway in winter conditions with a character nearby pointing to the program's safety slogan. 

According to PennDOT, the painted blades will be used to maintain state-owned roadways during the winter weather season. 

More information on PennDOT's winter preparations and additional winter-driving resources for motorists can be found here.