SPRINGFIELD –– Secretary of State Jesse White recently announced the winners of the 17th annual statewide Bicycle Safety Poster Contest, sponsored by White's office and Wal-Mart.
White held an awards ceremony in Springfield May 16 for all the poster contest winners as part of National Bicycle Safety Month. Each contest winner received a personalized Illinois Blue Book and various certificates. The first place winner in each category received a bicycle and all nine children received a bicycle helmet. The bicycles and helmets were donated by Wal-Mart.
White said the poster contest helps teach children important rules and safety tips for riding bicycles. There were 18 people killed in bicycle-vehicle crashes in Illinois last year. Of those killed, five were under age 18.
"I want to congratulate these students for designing such wonderful posters and for helping us educate the public about bicycle safety," said White. "Each year bicyclists are injured and killed in traffic accidents. It's important for children and adults to be familiar with the rules of the road for bicycles and for automobile drivers and bicycle riders who share the roads to be aware of each other at all times."
Jessica Buettner, a fourth grader at Rogers Elementary school in Waterloo, is this year's overall winner. Her poster has been duplicated and will be displayed in selected Secretary of State Drivers Services Facilities and Wal-Mart stores statewide. As the corporate sponsor, Wal-Mart underwrote the cost of printing the bicycle safety posters.
The poster contest is open to all Illinois students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Students compete in three categories according to grade level: K-2; 3-5; and 6-8. Each participating school selects one winner in each category and submits the names to the Secretary of State's traffic safety division, which selects the first, second and third place winners in each category. A grand prize winner is chosen from the three first place winners.
This year's winners were:
| Grades K-2 |
| 1st Place | Domenica DePasqale | St. Celistine School | Elmwood Park |
| 2nd Place | Jillian Chlumsky | St. Barbara School | Brookfield |
| 3rd Place | Rebecca Reitz | Prairie Grove School | Prairie Grove |
| Grades 3-5 |
| 1st Place | Jessica Buettner | Rogers Elementary School | Waterloo |
| 2nd Place | Ashley Ray-Harris | Keith Country Day School | Rockford |
| 3rd Place | Fahim Zaman | College Prep School of America | Lombard |
| Grades 6-8 |
| 1st Place | Kate McManus | St. Peter and Paul School | Waterloo |
| 2nd Place | Katie Dunn | Immanuel Lutheran | Murphysboro |
| 3rd Place | Teria Henley | Park Manor School | Chicago |
Copies of the Bicycle Rules of the Road are available at all Secretary of State Driver Services facilities throughout the state.
