For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 7, 2025

MCDOT Ride On is excited to announce the winners of our 50th Anniversary Art Contest, which celebrated 50 years of Ride On service in Montgomery County. The contest was open to all Montgomery County middle school students and ran from March 15 – April 15, 2025.
After reviewing 96 entries, the winning entry received a $100 gift card, second place entry received a $75 gift card, and third place received a $50 gift card. The first place winner’s artwork will be displayed inside all Ride On buses.
Winners and their art are listed below.



Rocky Hill Middle School
Finalists’ art will be featured alongside the top three winners on an art tour around Montgomery County government buildings, details of which will be announced soon. All winners and their art can be found on the Ride On website.
Finalists are listed below.
- Leia Baudoin, Rocky Hill Middle School
- Arzo Rahimi, Takoma Park Middle School
- Benjamin Li, Herbert Hoover Middle School
- Carina Araujo, Barnesville School of Arts and Sciences
- Piper Russell, Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
- Saanvi Lanke, Shady Grove Middle School
- Ahyoon Kim, Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
Herbert Hoover Middle School was the school with the most entries (24) and received a $500 gift card for art supplies. A special thank you to Mr. Brian Ostry whose class participated in the contest and made up the majority of the school’s entries.
The Ride On marketing team would also like to thank Donna Kleffman, Coordinator of Student Leadership and Service Learning (SSL) at MCPS for her help ensuring each participant received SSL hours for their entry.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s contest. Your creativity brought joy and color to Ride On’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, and we are proud to showcase your work.
Release ID: 25-082
Media Contact: Emily DeTitta, 240-372-2282
For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=47008