HRT – sponsored school wins Garrett Morgan competition

Hampton Roads Transit is proud to announce that its sponsored school, The School of International Studies at Meadowbrook, is the winner of the 2009 Garrett Morgan Symposium.

This annual competition, sponsored by the Minetta Transportation Institute (MTI), is designed to encourage young people to think about careers in transportation. Each year, members of the MTI Board of Trustees sponsor middle school classes across the country for a sustainable transportation study unit. The curriculum is developed by faculty at San José State University’s College of Education.

In November, HRT contacted Meadowbrook, inviting them to participate. Upon acceptance, HRT arranged the delivery of the workbooks and coordinated the competition site.

As part of the competition, the students and teachers were asked to create a sustainable transportation project based on what they’ve learned. The project produced by the students at Meadowbrook was entitled “Naturally Clean.” The students even produced their own public service announcement to accompany their project entry.

Having competed against eight other schools in the United States via teleconference, Meadowbrook won by a unanimous decision. Now, a student, parent, and teacher from the school will receive an all expense paid trip to San Jose, California to attend MTI´s annual scholarship awards banquet in June. The school receives a plaque and a $1,000 check for winning, and the teachers of all classes participating in the competition will receive a $50 gift certificate for project supplies.

The program is named in honor of Garrett Morgan, the son of former slaves, who invented the three-position traffic signal in the 1920’s. The technology Morgan developed is the basis for the modern-day traffic signal.

Pictured – Jeanina Harris , Kira Pfieffer, Taylor Farlin, Matthew Anderson, Bryce Berry, Lisa Jefferies, participants of the 2009 Garrett Morgan Symposium