Western Springs teen's safety poster rides to first place

By ROB SIEBERT rsiebert@pioneerlocal.com

This past spring, when Danny Caplice's art teacher at McClure Junior High showed her class the winners from last year's Metra Safety Poster Contest, an idea occurred to him.

"I knew I could draw like that," Caplice said. "Maybe better."

Danny Caplice's winning Metra Railroad Safety poster.
(Steve Johnston/Staff Photographer)


Danny Caplice sits in front of his winning Metra Railroad Safety poster.
(Steve Johnston/Staff Photographer)

The 14-year-old Western Springs resident, now a freshman at Lyons Township South High School, set out to create his own poster to promote safety near railroads and trains.

Caplice submitted his entry in March. In June, he discovered he had placed first among posters submitted by eighth-graders. "It feels great," Caplice said of winning the contest.

Sketched with shading pencils, Caplice's poster depicts a train station not unlike the one in downtown Western Springs. Immediately conspicuous in the image are the bright yellow lines, which depict the safety boundaries put in place to keep commuters safe from oncoming trains.

In the center of the poster Caplice wrote in bold letters: "The Yellow Lines Are There For A Reason." In the lower left hand corner, the poster reads "Safety Rules: Look, Listen, Live."

Caplice said the drawing took about two weeks to complete, and he would work on it after finishing his homework.

Ironically, Caplice said he missed the submission deadline for the contest. But his art teacher, Cailtin Omahoney, liked his poster so much she frantically arranged for it to be submitted late.

"She had someone she knew drive it down by hand," Caplice said.

For his efforts, Caplice was rewarded with a new Toshiba laptop.

Caplice isn't the only artist in his family. Anne Caplice, his 9-year-old sister, placed among the top ten entries from second-graders. Though he obviously has an appreciation for trains and railroad safety, Caplice admitted he rarely makes use of the train station in Western Springs.

"I probably ride it twice a year," he said.

Caplice may have had an inherent advantage upon entering the contest, as he believes he is better at drawing objects and things, rather than real people.

"I draw cartoons, cars, iPods and inanimate objects," Caplice said.

Caplice's poster, as well as the various other winners, can be viewed at MetraContest.com.