April is "National County Government Month" and the County Commissioners’ Association of West Virginia (CCAWV) hosts our annual essay contest for 8th grade students across West Virginia.
One of CCAWV’s goals is to increase information and public awareness about county government and the office of County Commissioner. This goal of this initiative is to partner with West Virginia educators to encourage students to learn and write about their local county governing body, the County Commission.
Student participants are asked to type a 500-word essay on the topic, "How does my county commission make life better for me?"
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The winning essays will be announced in May.
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There will be a monetary prize for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place student winners as well as honorable mention and the teacher who submitted the 1st place essay will receive a monetary prize to be used for classroom activities.
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The winning students and his/her teachers will be invited to a County Commissioners’ meeting in their home county to receive their awards.
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The 1st place winning essay will be posted on the CCAWV website.
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Essays will be judged on the following criteria: Understanding of the role of county commission; grammar and spelling; clarity and organization of thought. While content is important, essays will be judged on a well-structured, grammatically correct submission.
For more information please contact Meagan James at meagan@ccawv.org or at 304-345-4639.
How can I learn more about what my commission does?
- Take a class field trip to a county commission meeting.
- Watch a commission meeting online – many livestream their meetings.
- Ask your county commissioners to come speak to your class.
Find out what your county commission is working on in your county and encourage your students to write about it from the perspective of an 8th grader and why it matters to them. There are also a series of five informational videos here that details the roles and responsibilities of county commissioners.
Rules
- The contest is open to all 8th grade students, beginning April 1, 2024, who are enrolled in a West Virginia public, private or charter school.
- Each essay is limited to a minimum of 400 words and a maximum of 500 words and must address the following question: “How does my county commission make life better for me?” The essay must address specifically the county commission of the county in which the student resides.
- Each student is limited to one entry.
- Each teacher must completely fill out an official application and submit the essay online.
- All entries must contain the student’s name, email address, and their home county. Please include the student's name and school on the submitted essay.
- The entries must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format and must be submitted by the student’s teacher.
- All entries must be submitted by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
The winning essays will be announced in May.
There will be a monetary prize for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place student winners as well as honorable mention and the teacher who submitted the 1st place essay will receive a monetary prize to be used for classroom activities.
The winning students and his/her teachers will be invited to a County Commissioners’ meeting in their home county to receive their awards.
The 1st place winning essay will be posted here: https://www.ccawv.org/education/county-government-month/contest-winners
Essays will be judged on the following criteria: Understanding of the role of county commission; grammar and spelling; clarity and organization of thought. While content is important, essays will be judged on a well-structured, grammatically correct submission.
By entering the contest, each student and teacher agrees to allow his/her name to be used in a news release announcing the contest winner in the event their essay is selected as a winning essay. In addition, they agree to allow their name and photograph to be published on the CCAWV website.
