<h2>Student Essay Contest</h2>
The Virginia School Boards Association is holding a personal essay/speaking contest where the finalists will have an opportunity to present before an audience of more than 300 school board members and administrators at the 2022 VSBA Conference on Education held at the Richmond Delta Marriott on July 19, 2022.

This is the second year the Virginia School Boards Association will hold this contest. We hope that this contest will bring out the very best in students’ writing and speaking efforts and allow our attendees to witness examples of the bright, thoughtful, and accomplished students from around the Commonwealth. <strong>This years topic is Food Security.</strong>

This year, thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous sponsor, the top 3 finalists will each receive a $1,000 scholarship. Submissions are open to all Virginia public high school students (grades 9-12), and is a great opportunity to share their unique voices as well as compete for funds to further their education.

To complete the Entry Form <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StudentEssay2022">click here</a>.

For more information on the contest and complete guidelines please view the guidebook <a href="https://www.vsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-Student-Essay-Contest-Guide.pdf">here</a>.

For questions, please contact Brittany Moore, membership services coordinator, at <a href="mailto:brittany@vsba.org"><strong>brittany@vsba.org</strong></a> or by calling 434-295-8722 x2.

<strong>Last Year's VSBA Student Essay Contest Winner, is Miss. Maggie Mandara!
</strong>

Last year's topic was Can and Should Freedom of Expression and Civility Co-exist?

Maggie is a rising junior at Smithfield High School, where she is heavily involved in extracurriculars and advocacy for all students. When Maggie is not working on something academically, she is either working on her debut novel or reading a new stack of books that she received from Barnes and Noble. After high school, Maggie intends to study creative writing and a S.T.E.M focused area, such as computer science or architecture.

<strong>You can view Maggie's Speech in the below video!</strong>

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