Art is the key to expressing the meaning of elements of life. In March, the Community Park District of LaGrange Park’s Veterans Memorial Committee held an art contest in order to find the perfect design for a new sculpture to be placed in the memorial. Sophomore Daniel D’Onofrio was one of the twelve awesome entries and came out of the contest victoriously.

When ruminating on ideas for his design, Daniel was inspired by the memorial’s purpose of honoring all veterans. With this in mind, he drew three soldiers standing in front of the American flag as a part of his final design. On the meaning behind his design, Daniel stated, “I  thought the best way to honor [the veterans] would be to draw a soldier representing the past, another one representing the present, and a third one representing the future. I then drew the American flag behind them to represent their protection of our country.”

The Veteran’s Memorial art contest was not Daniel’s first artistic composition. Daniel has been active as an artist through his drawing since a very young age. Increasingly interested in art, Daniel became more involved in art and has added painting to his artistic repertoire. Daniel enjoys pursuing artwork because he likes “the fact that you can take a blank canvas and let your imagination create something amazing, something you can be proud of.” His veterans memorial piece is certainly a creation worth being proud of.

In addition to his artwork, Daniel is also involved in a variety of other extracurricular activities. Athletically, Daniel is a member of both the soccer and lacrosse teams here at Nazareth. He is also a proud member of Nazareth’s Youth Initiative program. Outside of the halls of Nazareth, Daniel spends his time involved in another fine art through playing all kinds of music.

Overall, Daniel has used his gifts to create a legacy not just here at Nazareth but also in the LaGrange community. His artwork will forever honor the veterans of the part and the future and will be a reminder of their legacy as well as his. Daniel is looking forward to honoring this legacy at the dedication of the memorial in September.