School Safety Contest

Indian Prairie School District 204 is proud to announce the winners of its first annual School Safety Contest, themed “Safe Schools Start with Us.” The contest aimed to raise awareness about the importance of school safety by encouraging students to submit posters, digital designs, and public service announcements (PSAs) that highlight ways to prevent threats, report concerns, and foster a safe learning environment.

The district received submissions from over 200 students ranging from preschool through grade 12. A panel of judges evaluated submissions based on creativity, message clarity, and impact.

The winners of the School Safety Contest are:

Elementary School and Early Childhood

First Place: Aria Ortega – Grade 1, Cowlishaw Elementary (View Entry Here)
Second Place: Arnav Kathuria – Grade 5, Owen Elementary (View Entry Here)
Third Place: Rajat Thakur – Grade 2, Brookdale Elementary (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Sriyan Kantamneni – Grade 3, Brookdale Elementary (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Ananya Shaoo – Grade 3, Watts Elementary (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Medhansh Nair – Kindergarten, Peterson Elementary (View Entry Here)

Middle School

First Place: Dillan Wind and Caden Siears – Grade 8, Hill Middle School (View Entry Here)
Second Place: Evalynn Colin – Grade 7, Fischer Middle School (View Entry Here)
Third Place: Isabella Boynton – Grade 6, Hill Middle School (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Aditya Ranjan, Daksh Srivastava, Maksym Samoiliuk, Dylan Gargas, Rushil Sarda – Grade 8, Hill Middle School (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Girivar Mundhra – Grade 6, Granger Middle School (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Abigail Kommu – Grade 6, Hill Middle School (View Entry Here)

High School and STEPS

First Place: Michelle Cano, Jackson Denius, William Bannon – Grade 11, Waubonsie Valley High School (View Entry Here)
Second Place: Aleeza Fawad – Grade 9, Neuqua Valley High School (View Entry Here)
Third Place: Sam Stecklein – Grade 12, Neuqua Valley High School (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Keira Cowan – Grade 12, Neuqua Valley High School (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Maria Argueta Gonzalez – Grade 11, Waubonsie Valley High School (View Entry Here)
Honorable Mention: Andrea Davalos – Grade 12, Waubonsie Valley High School (View Entry Here)

Winners were recognized at the Board of Education Meeting on Monday, February 24, 2025, where they received prizes for their outstanding safety contest submissions. Rival5 sponsored the contest and their CEO, Tony Brncich, gave away $3,000 in prizes to the winners. First-place winners at each level were awarded a $500 Amazon gift card, with additional prizes distributed to finalists.

Winning entries will be featured on the district’s website and social media channels to help spread awareness about school safety and the impact students can make.

With the rise in school threats locally and nationwide, it's important for all of us to foster a culture of safety and responsibility among our students. District 204's safety contest is a creative opportunity for students to raise awareness about the importance of alleviating school threats - whether real, hoaxes, or made in jest - reporting any threats to law enforcement or a trusted adult, and recognizing the vital role everyone plays in keeping our schools safe.

Students are invited to create posters, digital designs, or PSAs to raise awareness about the importance of alleviating threats in and against our schools. 

The contest is open from Wednesday, January 22 through Sunday, February 16. Students with winning entries will receive prizes and their contest submission will be featured on the district's social media and website, helping to spread awareness around this important topic. 

Contest Categories and Submission Guidelines

The following categories are recommended for each level. However, students may submit an entry in a format that is not listed in their level. (For example, a middle or high school student may submit a poster.)

Elementary and Early Childhood (Grades PK - 5):

• 8.5" x 11" drawing or poster 
• Focused on school safety awareness

Middle School (Grades 6 - 8): 

• Video PSA filmed in landscape mode (30-60 seconds) or digital design 
• Focused on school safety and responsible behavior

High School and STEPS (Grades 9 - 12 and STEPS):

• Video PSA filmed in landscape mode (30-60 seconds) or digital design
• Focused on the importance of reporting concerns and discouraging hoax threats

Submissions will be judged based on their alignment with the theme - "Safe Schools Start with Us!"

Submission Process

Contest entries can be submitted in one of two ways:

1. Online through the Safety Contest Submission Form
   
   
2. Entries, along with the Entry Submission Form, may be dropped off at:
   Crouse Education Center 
   Attn: Safety Contest
   780 Shoreline Drive
   Aurora, IL 60504

Prizes

The following prizes will be awarded at each level; one prize per winning entry.

1st Place - $500 Amazon Gift Card
2nd Place - $250 Amazon Gift Card
3rd Place - $100 Amazon Gift Card
Honorable Mention - $50 Amazon Gift Card
Honorable Mention - $50 Amazon Gift Card
Honorable Mention - $50 Amazon Gift Card

Judges

Contest Rules

• All entries must be student created with teacher or guardian supervision as needed.
• Submissions may be created by an individual or group of students.
• Each student may submit only one entry. If a student is part of multiple submissions, priority will be given to entries involving groups. For multiple individual submissions from the same student, the first entry received will be considered.
• One prize will be awarded per winning entry, regardless of the number of students involved in the entry.
• All submissions become property of Indian Prairie School District and may be reproduced or used in a public setting (ie. social media, website, public meetings, etc.)

Contest Sponsor:   

Rival5 Technologies Corporation, founded in 2011, strongly focuses on enhancing school safety through our K-12 fully managed communications solutions. We bring safety and security to users' fingertips with services such as RLock. Tightly integrated with our other services like RCom and RVoice, RLock alleviates the strain of timely and effective notifications during crisis scenarios, ensuring that students, faculty, administration, emergency services, and public safety can be swiftly informed. Our commitment empowers educational institutions to create a secure environment, allowing them to focus on their core mission of educating students.

Please direct questions to Lisa Barry at lisa_barry@ipsd.org.