Students from Williamsburg and Radford are top winners in a national poster contest about internet safety for children.
Faith, a student at Williamsburg-James City County (WJCC) Virtual Academy, won first place overall in the 2023 Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center’s annual Kids Safe Online poster contest.
Radford High School’s Rosalind placed in the top 10.
Eighteen students in Virginia elementary, junior and high schools submitted entries in the national competition.
“Congratulations to Faith and Rosalind, and all our finalists from Virginia. We are so proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished,” Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth Robert Osmond said. “Your participation in the contest serves as a model to all students in Virginia when it comes to sharing the message of cybersecurity, and the importance of staying safe while online.”
The poster contest engages students in kindergarten through 12th grade in creating posters to encourage peers to use the internet safely and securely. Opportunities are also available or teachers in classrooms across Virginia to address reinforce cybersecurity and online safety issues.
“I congratulate Faith and Rosalind for their attractive designs and the themes they selected for their award-winning posters,” Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons said. “And I thank VITA for providing this annual opportunity for our students to demonstrate their creativity and talent while promoting online safety and cybersecurity.”
According to Michael Watson, Chief Information Security Officer of the Commonwealth, cyber education programs like the poster contest “are a significant part of Virginia’s educational fabric, as the students of today are our technology users and professionals of tomorrow. Educating our students on how to protect themselves in a digital world is our collective responsibility; it’s up to each and every one of us to secure our technological future.”