Bermuda’s schoolchildren have set a fine example for road safety as part of an art competition run by an energy firm this summer.

Rubis Energy Bermuda launched the Student Art Contest in partnership with the Bermuda Road Safety Council and The Royal Gazette’s Drive for Change campaign.

Draw 4 Change tasked primary school and middle school students with describing what road safety means to them and with creating related artwork — and they responded commendably, with 175 pieces of artwork displayed at City Hall in July.

The winners, who were honoured at a prize presentation at the Transport Control Department last Wednesday, will have their pieces displayed in the inaugural Rubis 2020 Draw 4 Change Calendar.

Jermaine Simons, the Rubis Energy Bermuda sales manager, said: “In 2016, as part of our tenth anniversary, we created a community partnership initiative called Fuelling 4 a Cause to raise funding for charitable efforts.

“In 2019, we decided to focus on schools, and we saw an opportunity to raise awareness about road safety and having our student artists tell us what road safety means to them.”

The Stationery Store donated gift certificates to each student, ranging in value from $25 to $125. Somerset Primary, Warwick Academy and West Pembroke Primary received $250 gift certificates for producing category winners.

Each student finishing in the top four automatically qualified their school to participate in Rubis’ Fuelling 4 a Cause promotion next month.

For the duration of the month, Rubis will donate five cents for every gallon of fuel sold to the participating schools, who are already guaranteed a minimum $1,000 donation.

Michael Grier, commercial director at The Royal Gazette and RG Mags, added: “We are excited to be a part of this programme. This is an opportunity for us to bring the issue of road safety to the youth.”

Rachael Robinson, the Road Safety Officer for the Bermuda Road Safety Council, said: “It has been said that ‘children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way’.

“Our children, whose artwork will be featured in the first-ever Bermuda road safety calendar, speak just to that.” • All submitted artwork can be viewed online at: www.rubis-bermuda.com/draw4change/contest-gallery