Home Building Safety Month Student Essay Contest winners announced
News

Building Safety Month Student Essay Contest winners announced

AFP

virginiaThe Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development announced the winners of the 2018 Building Safety Month Student Essay Scholarship Contest. Five students from throughout Virginia were awarded scholarships through the essay contest.

“Each year, DHCD celebrates Building Safety Month and recognizes the importance that safe, sustainable buildings have on each citizen of Virginia, and the Building Safety Month Student Essay Contest is a fitting way to promote building safety to our citizens, especially our students,” said DHCD Director Erik Johnston. “It was a tough competition between all of the entries, and DHCD applauds all of the winners of the essay contest.”

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, in partnership with the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association and the Virginia Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors Association, sponsored the student essay scholarship contest, with scholarships up to $2,000 available to the winners. This year’s theme was “Building Codes Save Lives,” and each entry required a 1,000-word or less essay that illustrated how building codes impact the student’s individual and community safety.

Building Safety Month is a public awareness campaign celebrated by jurisdictions worldwide during the month of May for the past 38 years to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create safe and sustainable structures. The campaign reinforces the need for the adoption of modern, regularly-updated building codes, a strong and efficient system of code enforcement and a well-trained, professional workforce to maintain the system.

Below is a list of 2018 Building Safety Month Essay Scholarship Contest winners:

  • First Place – $2,000 Scholarship
    Thea Konefal, Maggie Walker Governor’s School | Richmond, VA
  • Second Place – $1,000 Scholarship
    Caroline Maloney, Freedom High School | Loudoun County, VA
  • Honorable Mention – $500 Scholarship
    Madilyn Abbe, Loudoun Valley High School | Loudoun County, VA
    Pierina Rossini, Liberty University
    Nicholas Dize, Loudoun Valley High School | Loudoun County, VA

For more information or to read the winning essays, visit www.dhcd.virginia.gov.

 




Featured Video

 

AFP

AFP

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora and YouTube. Support AFP by signing up for our newsletter and/or powering our work with a one-time or monthly contribution.

Latest News

uva football jahmal edrine
Football, Go 'Hoos

UVA Football: What the now-dismissed Jahmal Edrine case did to the 2026 season

uva football jahmal edrine
Football, Go 'Hoos

Rape, abduction charges against former UVA Football player Jahmal Edrine dismissed

The rape and abduction charges against former UVA Football player Jahmal Edrine have been dismissed, less than a month before Edrine was set to go before an Albemarle County jury for a scheduled four-day trial.

louise lucas abigail spanberger
Politics, Virginia

Spanberger on Louise Lucas indictment: ‘Presumed innocent until proven guilty’

Gov. Abigail Spanberger is taking the closest thing to the high road that she can take with respect to the news that her political nemesis, Louise Lucas, has been charged in a multi-count racketeering indictment by the Trump DOJ.

healthcare
Football, Go 'Hoos

UVA Football: Update on the injury list, with notes on key guys who are ‘out,’ ‘doubtful’

ty jerome uva basketball
Basketball, Go 'Hoos

UVA Basketball: Ty Jerome goes 45-7-6 for Memphis in season-opening win

northern virginia
Virginia

Virginia State Police trying to track down family of deceased Colorado man

richmond map
Virginia

Richmond man arrested in connection with Sept. 25 fatal hit-and-run