Students at Boone County High School, Cooper High School, Ryle High School and Conner High School have until Sept. 11 to land one of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's snowplow blades for painting. Spots are limited and go first-come, first-served.

KYTC's fourth annual Paint the Plow program invites one application per high school, according to LINK nky. Schools that secure a blade get the real thing delivered to campus, where students paint a design that will scrape local roads all winter. The program doubles as a winter road-safety campaign: painted blades rolling through Florence, Union, Burlington and Hebron signal to drivers that plows are active.

Here's how the process works. A school submits one application through the KYTC program page at transportation.ky.gov/Paint-the-Plow. A cabinet representative follows up to confirm a blade is available and explains how to submit a draft design. KYTC must approve the design before any paint touches metal. Once approved, the design is locked. A representative then arranges drop-off and pick-up of the blade at the school.

Faculty can help students sketch the concept, but only students may paint. No teacher touch-ups allowed.

KYTC District 6, which covers Boone County, is based at 421 Buttermilk Pike in Covington. Jake Ryle, the district's public information officer, can field questions about the program at (859) 341-2700.

The online application form closes Sept. 11. With blades awarded on a first-come basis, schools that apply early in the window have the best shot at securing one.