2020 County Government Essay Contest Winners
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- 1st Place ($500 for student and teacher) – Maylie Jackson, Mountaineer Middle, Monongalia County; Teacher – Robyn Addie
- 2nd Place ($300) – Sophia Saurino, West Preston Middle, Preston County; Teacher – Angela Knisell
- 3rd Place ($200) – Hannah Starcher, Winfield Middle, Putnam County; Teacher – Angie Withrow
Honorable Mention ($50 for each student):
- CJ Gerwig, Braxton Middle, Braxton County; Teacher – Lori Dittman
- Neha Chandrasekar, Dunbar Middle, Kanawha County; Teacher – Kathryn West
- Helen Honecker, Mountaineer Middle, Monongalia County; Teacher – Robin Addie
- Laura Moreland, West Preston Middle, Preston County; Teacher – Angela Knisell
- Carley Bird, Winfield Middle, Putnam County; Teacher – Angie Withrow
CCAWV Essay Content Winners 2018
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The CCAWV Essay Contest is held annually in recognition of National County Government Month each April. One of CCAWV’s goals is to increase information and public awareness about county government and the office of County Commissioner. As an initiative of this goal we are excited 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 and a panel of CCAWV Staff judge the essays. This year, we had close to 200 entries from 8 counties. We awarded first, second and third place along with four honorable mention awards.
Third Place:
Hunter Withrow from Winfield Middle School, Putnam County
Second Place:
Isabella Ferrell from St Francis Catholic, Monongalia County
First Place:
Anthony Godwin, Braxton County Middle School, Braxton County
Honorable Mention
Adrionna Bennett, Wahama Middle School, Mason County
Julia Leyden, South Middle School, Monongalia County
Eden Forguson, South Middle School, Monongalia County
Mary Jane Campbell, Braxton County Middle School, Braxton County
2015 Essay Contest Winners
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First Place
Mason Shockley
Mountaineer Middle School
How does my County Commissioner Make Life Better for me? One day, I was sitting on my front porch when a Cheat Lake fire truck went speeding by with its sirens blaring. From previous knowledge, I knew the Cheat Lake Fire Department was a non-municipal volunteer fire department. That was when I started wondering, who funds these lire departments? Another day. my family and I were at Chestnut Ridge Park sledding through the sparkling snow. Every direction I surveyed, the beautiful park was well maintained. That was when I started thinking, who is responsible for providing these services?
After some research, I learned that the Monongalia County Commission is responsible for these services. I was amazed to see the far reaching impact that the County Commission has on my everyday life. Other than providing fire protection and recreation, the County Commission provides for my safety through funding to the sheriffs department. Since I live outside a municipality, my house is not protected by a city police force. Instead, the sheriff's department is responsible for patrolling the area that I live. Without funding provided by the County Commission, the Sheriff would not have the deputies or resources needed to do this.
The County Commission is not limited to funding the Sheriffs Department, but includes providing the resources for the administration of the courthouse and prosecuting attorney. Without the County Commission, these important departments and positions could not function properly to ensure the citizen's safety. The County Commission also has jurisdictions over wills, allowing citizens to know that their estates will be properly administered upon their deaths. Additionally, the County Commission also implements ordinances for the county. Many laws that have been passed benefit the citizens of Monongalia County greatly. For example, the ordinance that prohibited smoking in county owned and operated properties helped discourage smoking and protect nonsmokers from second hand smoke. These helpful ordinances make Monongalia County a remarkable place to live, allowing it to be one of the fastest growing counties in the state.
In conclusion, the County Commission only consist of three members, but their work impacts daily life and helps create a great county to live in. Their schedules stretch on and their work never stops, which is why citizens should become more aware of the County Commission. A wide variety of skills is needed to be successful as a Commissioner. Planning the budget, maintaining parks, putting ordinances into operation, and funding different organizations are just some of the duties the County Commissioners are responsible for controlling. They work very hard for this county and citizens should too. This is what the County Commission does for me and for you.
2014 County Government Essay Contest Winners Announced
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April is "National County Government Month" and the County Commissioners’ Association of WV (CCAWV) sponsors an annual contest among the state’s eighth grade students. Students are asked to answer “How does my county commission make life better for me?” in an essay.
While this is an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the many functions of their county commission in depth, a prize of $300 for the best-written essay sweetens the pot for students. (An additional $300 is awarded to the first-place student’s teacher for encouraging participation, to be used to support classroom activities.) The second place winner receives $250, and third place gets $150, in addition to recognition by their county commissioners.
2014 CCAWV Essay Contest
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April is "National County Government Month" and the County Commissioners’ Association of WV (CCAWV) is hosting our 3rd annual essay contest for 8th grade students across West Virginia.
There will be a monetary prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place student winners. There will also be a monetary prize for the 1st place winner’s Teacher to be used for classroom activities. 1st Place Student will receive $300 and teacher will receive $300. 2nd place Student - $250 and 3rd place Student - $150.
One of CCAWV’s goals is to increase information and public awareness about county government and the office of County Commissioner. As an initiative of this goal we are excited to partner with West Virginia educators to encourage students to learn and write about their local county governing body, the County Commission. (Teachers, for your convenience, we are attaching our brochure about county commission responsibilities.)
Student participants are asked to type a 500-word essay on the topic.....
"How does my county commission make life better for me?"
Take a class fieldtrip to a county commission meeting! Ask your county commissioners to come speak to the 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.
A committee of commissioners and CCAWV Staff will serve as judges of the contest. All entries must be emailed by 5:00 pm April 21, 2014 to qualify. (Please see complete rules attached)
Entries should be emailed to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.