Encinal student art will be displayed on SamTrans buses

You may see some local student art on the next SamTrans bus that passes by, typically along El Camino Real!

That’s because four Encinal students were winners in this year’s Art Takes A Bus Ride contest, a partnership with SamTrans, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture.

The contest gives students in grades 1-12 the chance to have their original artwork displayed on buses for an entire year. The 2026 theme, Time Travelers Take the Bus: 50 Years in Motion, celebrates SamTrans’ 50th anniversary.

Through art, students were encouraged to explore how schools and neighborhoods have changed over the decades or imagine what transportation might look like in the next 50 years.

A record 241 Encinal 1st through 5th graders submitted art to the contest and Emma L, Luca S, Blair F, and Lily L all won.

Encinal Art Teacher Stephanie Noon attended the awards ceremony at SamTrans headquarters in San Carlos with her students earlier this week and were able to get a sneak peek at their creativity on the side of a SamTrans bus, ready to drive “in the wild.”