Elmwood Student Aseela Jaber Wins Metra Safety Poster Contest

Elmwood Elementary 5th grader Aseela Jaber was crowned the People’s Choice winner of this year’s Metra Safety Poster Contest! To earn this honor, she designed a poster in Canva to educate people about rail safety. Creating the poster to be a well-balanced, visually striking, and original piece, Aseela said she carefully planned out the design. She even created the poster’s tagline herself: “Stay Off. Stay Away. Stay Alive."

Aseela’s Poster

This was the first time the school participated in the competition. After learning about it from School Resource Officer Victor Piermattei, Elmwood Art Teacher Lauren Guenther decided it would be a great opportunity for students to show off their creative skills.

Since Aseela won the vote on Instagram against entries from thousands of other students in the six-county region, her artwork will now be featured on various Metra promotional materials. This includes their 2027 safety calendar as well as their weekend/holiday passes.

To announce the big news to Aseela, her parents decided to surprise her at school! Finding out in front of her whole class, she was called up to receive a certificate and show off her design. Take a look at the video below to see the moment!

Being the youngest possible age in the People’s Choice category makes her win even more impressive. From this achievement, Aseela will receive a $500 Amazon gift card, which she plans to use to buy some squishies, clothes, and gifts for her family.

Since she is considered a first-place winner, Aseela will also be invited to the Metra Board meeting on June 18 to be recognized for her achievement. Congratulations on a well-deserved win, Aseela!