Cary-Grove senior among Metra poster contest winners
Metra recently honored the winners of its 2009-10 Safety Poster and Safety Essay contests at the regular monthly meeting of its board of directors. In only its fourth year, the award-winning contest has continued to grow with nearly 4,500 students participating this year.
For the past four years, the Metra Safety Poster Contest has invited students in kindergarten to 12th grade throughout the six-county region Metra serves to submit poster designs displaying important railroad safety messages. This year's poster contest theme was "Make the Right Choice: Look, Listen and Live." The Metra Safety Essay Contest was added during the 2008-09 school year to engage an even larger number of students in railroad safety education. Safety essay contest participants were asked to express in 300 words or less how they "Make the Right Choice" to be safe near trains and railroad tracks and how others can do the same. Participation in the essay contest doubled from the previous year, while poster contest participation has increased by an average of 40 percent each year.
In an effort to engage even more of the public in railroad safety education, Metra introduced a traveling poster display this June. More than 100 student poster entries with important safety messages were displayed at each of Metra's downtown commuter stations. Commuters and others passing through the stations were asked to vote for their favorite for the contest's "People's Choice Award." Nearly 600 people participated and cast their vote.
The first-place poster designs will be featured as next year's safety posters and distributed to more than 2,000 schools in northeastern Illinois. The posters will also be featured in station displays, in Metra's 2011 safety calendar, on monthly tickets and on Metra's contest website and Facebook page. Winning safety essays will also be featured in the safety calendar, the Metra contest website and Facebook page and in additional safety materials.
First- to 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 contest winners and essay contest winners receive a laptop computer, while second- and third-place poster contest winners receive $250 and $100 gift cards, respectively.
Due to the success of its safety program, Metra is currently planning for the 2010-11 safety campaign and corresponding activities, including the fifth annual Metra Safety Poster Contest and the third annual Metra Safety Essay Contest. Information about the 2010-2011 campaign will be available at metracontest.com.
Local students who were chosen as the 2009-2010 Safety Poster Contest's first-place winners include: Rachael Yoo, first grade, Frank C. Whiteley School, Hoffman Estates; Savina Caniglia, sophomore, Crystal Lake Central High School; and Kelsey Graef, junior, Crystal Lake Central High School.
Local students who were chosen as the Safety Poster Contest's second-place winners include: Jacob Pollack, freshman, Batavia High School; and Caroline Sdregas, sophomore, Crystal Lake Central High School.
Local students who were chosen as the Safety Poster Contest's third-place winners include: Emilio Tenuta, freshman, Batavia High School; and Leslie Michaelchuck, and sophomore, Cary-Grove High School.
Cary-Grove High senior Katie Finlon was one of the Safety Essay Contest's first-place winners.