Thursday, November 7, 2024

WJCC Virtual Academy Student Wins First Place in Kids Safe Online Poster Contest

(Virginia IT Agency)

RICHMOND — Faith Stumpf, a recent graduate from the Williamsburg-James City County (WJCC) Virtual Academy, won first place in the 2023 Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center’s (MS-ISAC) annual Kids Safe Online poster contest.

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) announced Wednesday that Faith was one of two Virginia students who were declared winners in the national contest.

The second winner, Rosalind, a junior from Radford High School, also placed in the top 10.

“Congratulations to Faith and Rosalind, and all our finalists from Virginia. We are so proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished,” said Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth Robert Osmond. “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 commonwealth submitted entries from 18 students in elementary, junior and high school into the competition.

“I congratulate Faith and Rosalind for their attractive designs and the themes they selected for their award-winning posters,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons. “And I thank VITA for providing this annual opportunity for our students to demonstrate their creativity and talent while promoting online safety and cybersecurity.”

The contest aims to engage young people by having students create posters to encourage their peers to use the internet safely and securely. All students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 are eligible to participate.

The competition also offers an opportunity for teachers to address and reinforce cybersecurity and online safety issues.

“Cyber education programs such as the Kids Safe Online poster contest are a significant part of Virginia’s educational fabric, as the students of today are our technology users and professionals of tomorrow,” said Chief Information Security Officer of the Commonwealth Michael Watson. “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.”

For more information on the Kids Safe Online poster contest and the submissions from this year’s finalists in Virginia, visit the VITA website.

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