The votes have been tallied and Metra April 28 announced the news that school-age children across the region have been waiting for – the names of the winners of its 2015 Safety Poster and Essay Contest.
Metra received more than 4,800 entries from across the region for this year’s contest. Students created artwork or wrote essays around the theme “Unplug for Safety, Look Listen Live.” The contest, which is in its ninth year, enables students to go beyond a standard safety presentation and take ownership of the safety message by creating posters and essays that are used by the rail agency in its safety campaigns.
Each year, Metra’s Safety Contest invites students in grades K-12 throughout its six-county service area to submit poster designs and essays highlighting the importance of railroad safety. The winners were selected by a panel of 29 judges that included government officials, representatives from safety and education advocacy groups, business and community leaders, media and railroad professionals.
“Electronic distractions are a part of all our lives but not being aware of our surroundings can have serious consequences, especially near railroad tracks,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. “These talented students’ posters and essays are creatively helping us reinforce this safety message not just among their peers but to everyone in the region who interacts with the railroad, either as rider or a motorist.”
First, second, and third-place winners were chosen from each grade level for the Metra Safety Poster Contest. One winner from each grade group – elementary school, middle school and high school – was chosen for the Safety Essay Contest. First-place poster and essay contest winners receive an iPad, while second- and third-place poster contest winners receive $250 and $100 gift cards, respectively.
A People’s Choice Award winner will also be selected via voting on Metra’s website. Through this link, the public will be able to select their favorite poster from this year’s first-place finishers. Voting will be available online through midnight Friday, May 29 and is open to the public. The artist who garners the most votes will receive an additional $250 prize. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced at the June meeting of the Metra Board.
Metra also recognizes the school with the most entries submitted in the poster contest. This year’s winner is Elgin’s Hilltop Elementary with 488 entries. In honor of this achievement, the school will receive a computer for use in the classroom.
The first-place poster designs will be featured in Metra’s 2016 safety calendar, on weekend tickets and on the Metra website. Winning safety essays will also be featured in the safety calendar, the Metra website and Facebook page. The second and third place posters will also be featured on the website and contest’s Facebook page.
In its ninth year, the Metra Safety Poster and Essay Contest was born out of tragedy following the deaths of several children in 2004 and 2005 in northeast Illinois who were struck by trains while walking along or crossing the tracks. The contest is a key part of Metra’s ongoing efforts to prevent such tragedies by educating children and adults about safe behaviors around railroad tracks and trains. Metra is heavily involved in the national Operation Lifesaver program conducting more than 450 safety presentations annually at schools, libraries, community centers and community events across northeast Illinois.
Metra’s Safety Contest would not be possible without the support of its sponsors, whose generous contributions have helped Metra defray the costs of the contest prizes as well as the production of the safety posters. This year’s contest sponsor is again the Hubbard Radio Group, owners of Chicago radio stations 97.1 FM The Drive, 100.3 WSHE and 101.9 The Mix.
The following were chosen as winners of the 2014-2015 Safety Contest:
Top Participating School
- Hilltop Elementary School, Elgin
Essay
- K-4 Division — Manya Davis, Naperville, 4th Grade, John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School
- 5-8 Division — Manav Davis Naperville, 6th Grade, Still Middle School
- 9-12 Division — Huimin Xu, Aurora, 12th Grade, Metea Valley High School
1st Place Poster
- Kindergarten — Parker Lee, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- 1st Grade — Elle Anderson, Geneva, Faith Christian Beginner School
- 2nd Grade — Diana Angel, Chicago, Norman Bridge Elementary School
- 3rd Grade — Aleksandra Baranovski, Naperville, May Watts Elementary School
- 4th Grade — Yebin Park, Northbrook, Glenview School of Arts
- 5th Grade — Madelyn Lee, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- 6th Grade — Julia Petrea, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- 7th Grade — Leon Kosciak, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- 8th Grade — Janet Pak, Mount Prospect, South Middle School
- 9th Grade — Elaine Tran, Lincolnwood, Niles West High School
- 10th Grade — Grace Fox, Oak Park, Oak Park River Forest High School
- 11th Grade — YeLim Kim, Lincolnshire, Adlai E. Stevenson High School
- 12th Grade — Payton Oakes, Naperville, Naperville Central High School
2nd Place Poster
- Kindergarten — Yumeng Liang, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- 1st Grade — Evan Boyle, St. Charles, Lincoln Elementary School
- 2nd Grade — Gabriela Hernandez, Chicago, Norman Bridge Elementary
- 3rd Grade — Gwyn Lockwood, Wheaton, Lowell Elementary School
- 4th Grade — Nuria Kim, Naperville, White Eagle Elementary School
- 5th Grade — Jonathan Kang, Northbrook, Henry Winkleman Elementary School
- 6th Grade — Eva Greene, Naperville, Gregory Middle School
- 7th Grade — Ode Wilondja Emena, Glendale Heights, Marquardt Middle School
- 8th Grade — Kate Hoekstra, LaGrange, Gurrie Middle School
- 9th Grade — Daniel Garcia, Des Plaines, Maine West High School
- 10th Grade — Anna Lipkind, Northbrook, Glenview School of Arts
- 11th Grade — Sung-Kyung Yoon, Northbrook, Glenbrook North High School l
- 12th Grade — Sebastien Johnson, Oak Park, Oak Park River Forest High School
3rd Place Poster
- Kindergarten — Alex Bounds, Naperville, May Watts Elementary School
- 1st Grade — Habin Park, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- 2nd Grade — Alina Qian, Lake Zurich, Prairie Elementary School
- 3rd Grade — Maricela Buckingham, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- 4th Grade — Krystyn Shae Reyes, Naperville, White Eagle Elementary School
- 5th Grade — Ellie Tran, Chicago, Stone Scholastic Academy
- 6th Grade — Manav Davis, Naperville, Still Middle School
- 7th Grade — David Walker, Oak Park, Percy Julian School
- 8th Grade — Shirowid Sharma, Buffalo Grove, Woodlawn Middle School
- 9th Grade — Michael Zima, Glen Ellyn, Glenbard South High School
- 10th Grade — Sarah Warner, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- 11th Grade — Johana Oldach, Oak Park, Oak Park River Forest High School
- 12th Grade —Royal Hartwig, Lakewood, Crystal Lake Central High School
Honorable Mention Essays
K-4 Division
- Sathya Deverajan, Aurora, 2nd Grade, Reba Steck Elementary School
- Kate Rogers, Mokena, 4th Grade Mokena Intermediate School
- Eduardo Zermeńo, Franklin Park, 4th Grade, Dan. H. Pietrini Elementary School
5-8 Division
- Kyle Kohn, Lemont, 7th Grade, St. Alphonsus-St. Patrick’s School
- Jack Giobba, Lemont, 6th Grade, St. Alphonsus-St. Patrick’s School
9-12 Division
- Taylor Miller, Naperville, 11th Grade, Naperville North High School
- Katherine Maloney, Palos Heights, 10th Grade, Marist High School
Honorable Mention Posters
Kindergarten
- Nina Pepel, Batavia, Grace McWayne Elementary School
- Natalia Kleszcz, Chicago, Norman Bridge Elementary School
- Ishaana Viswanath, Schaumburg, Buzz Aldrin Elementary School
- Aryan Rohit Sant, Naperville, Fry Elementary School
- Benjamin Kuzmik, Naperville, Kingsley Elementary School
1st Grade
- Cooper Munoz, Burbank, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School
- Shrinjoy Chaudhuri, Naperville, Robert E. Clow Elementary School
- Maximilian Zybowski, Chicago, Norman Bridge Elementary School
- David Ho, Algonquin, Westfield Community School
2nd Grade
- Aaliyah Love-Hale, Country Club Hills, Homewood Christian Academy
- Nathan Munoz, Chicago, Norman Bridge Elementary School
- Alexandra Kuzak, Mount Prospect, Fairview Elementary School
- Sathya Devarajan, Aurora, Reba Steck Elementary School
- Natalie Franczyk. Arlington Heights, Fairview Elementary School
3rd Grade
- Ksenia Baatz, Naperville, The Avery Coonley School
- Samuel Armstrong, Cicero, St. Mary’s Riverside
- Nikita Jucenko, Geneva, Mill Creek Elementary School
- Nate Wehrner, Highland Park, Ravinia Elementary School
4th Grade
- Azra Haskovic, Chicago, Norman Bridge Elementary School
- Kaitlyn Mitchell, Libertyville, Butterfield School
- Simran Chaudhuri, Naperville, Robert E. Clow Elementary School
- Victoria Prause, Oak Lawn, George W. Lieb School
- Rohan Satapathy, Naperville, White Eagle Elementary School
5th Grade
- Janeessa Rona, Oak Forest, Fierke Education Center
- Anushka Bhat, Arlington Heights, Dryden Elementary School
- Tara Hagle, Morton Grove, Glenview School of Arts
- Carlos Martinez, Elgin, Hilltop Elementary School
- Dylan Tran, Lincolnwood, Rutledge Hall
6th Grade
- Paige Vang, Green Oaks, Oak Grove School
- Alexander Greene, Gregory Middle School
- Yegor Baranovski, Naperville, Thayer C. Hill Middle School
- Gabriela Jakimowicz, Chicago, Norman Bridge Elementary School
7th Grade
- Jazz Dunn, Chicago, Holman Leadership Academy
- Cameron Chiu, Rolling Meadows, Plum Grove Jr. High School
- Karla Rivas, Chicago, Joseph E. Gary Elementary School
8th Grade
- Raizel Grunberg, Buffalo Grove, Joan Dach Bais Yaakov
- Nina Jastrzebski, Glenview, Glenview School of Arts
- Emma Rarick, Lockport, Homer Jr. High School
9th Grade
- Katherine Dawson, Prospect Heights, Wheeling High School
- Sapna Patel, Naperville, Waubonsie valley High School
10th Grade
- Aaron Borda, Chicago, Steinmetz College Prep
- Princess Smith, Chicago, Johnson College Prep
- Danielle Murawski, Oak Forest, Oak Forest High School
11th Grade
- Rhianna Eberle, Huntley, Huntley High School
- Thomas Seller, Huntley, Huntley High School
- Maria Guadalupe Garcia Eustaquio, Des Plaines, Maine West High School
12th Grade
- Aubriel Chillers, Sauk Village, Bloom Trail High School
- Nicholas S., Niles, Bridgeview Challenger Schools
- Alvin Rozenberg, Prospect Heights, John Hersey High School
- Jordan Thomas, Crystal Lake, Crystal Lake Central High School