MINNEAPOLIS — Several students were publicly recognized for displaying their artistic abilities in a school transportation association poster contest designed to remind motorists to stop for school buses.

Twenty-one of the 30 winners that the Minnesota Association for Pupil Transportation (MAPT) and the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association (MSBOA) named this year in their annual School Bus Safety Poster Contest were honored at Target Field before a Minnesota Twins baseball game on Aug. 11.

The students, ranging from kindergartners to eighth graders, stood on the field and had their names announced, and their posters were broadcast on the stadium screen before the game started, said Lt. Brian Reu, director of pupil transportation at the Minnesota Highway Patrol.

As part of the National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest, which is sponsored by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), the theme of the poster contest this year was #StopOnRed. There were 96 entries in the state contest.

Four of the state contest winners were also selected for inclusion in the National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest. (One winner was selected from each of four divisions, which broke down the grades into three ranges, with the fourth division being for special-needs students.) Their posters will be displayed at the NAPT Summit in Kansas City, Missouri, in November.

Those winners are:

• Division 1 (grades K-2): Olivia Roaldron, second grade, S.G. Reinertsen Elementary School

• Division 2 (grades 3-5): Evan Sailer, fourth grade, S.G. Reinertsen Elementary School

• Division 3 (grades 6-8): Akshay Rai, sixth grade, Fridley Middle School

• Division 4 (special education): Qwardir Davis, second grade, Hayes Elementary School

“The idea of recognizing the kids at the game on the field was twofold: one, to appreciate their efforts, [and] to increase public awareness and use that as a venue to get the message about school bus safety out to motorists to stop for school buses,” Reu said.

View the winning posters here.