(Richmond) A 7th grade student from the City of Richmond and an 11th grade student from Chesterfield County were the first-place winners in the Virginia War Memorial’s 2024 Veterans Day Student Essay Contest. The winners were announced at the 68th Annual Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday, November 11 at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.
More than 1,000 persons attended the ceremony in the Memorial’s E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater. The ceremony was also broadcast live on WTVR-TV CBS6.1 and 6.3.
The winner in the middle school category is Henry Clark, a 7th grade student at Saint Benedict Catholic School in Richmond. The title of his essay is “Joseph Clark: Soldier, Brother, Friend.”
The winner in the high school category is Savannah Overton, an 11th grade student at James River High School in Chesterfield County. The title of her essay is “Inspiring Generations: The Life and Legacy of Lieutenant Ernest Arthur Bachman, Jr.”
The annual competition was open to all middle and high school-age students residing in Virginia and enrolled in public or private schools or homeschooled. The essay topic for the 2024 competition was “A Virginian Who Served in the Military Who Inspires Me.”
The Virginia War Memorial staff members who judged the competition also awarded Honorable Mention recognition to the following high school students:
- Arianna Anderson, Grade 11, James River High School, Chesterfield County
- Jakub Bowen, Grade 10, Middlesex High School, Saluda
- Aarya Patel, Grade 10, Cosby High School, Midlothian
Contest winners Henry Clark and Savannah Overton and their parents attended the ceremony and were recognized during the program by Virginia War Memorial Director Dr. Clay Mountcastle. The students also received prize packages donated by McDonald’s Restaurants of Richmond and Hampton Roads and the Virginia War Memorial Foundation.
The winning students pre-recorded the reading of their essays at WTVR-TV studios in Richmond prior to the Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony. These videos were aired on November 11 during the Virginia This Morning program on CBS-6 and are available to view here or visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.
“Educating our young people about the service and sacrifices of the Commonwealth’s men and women who bravely and selfishly served and continue to serve in our U.S. armed forces is one of our most important missions here at the Virginia War Memorial,” said Virginia War Memorial Director Dr. Clay Mountcastle. “I congratulate Henry and Savannah on writing their inspiring Veterans Day student essays and also congratulate those students who were recognized with Honorable Mentions and all who participated in our annual competition.”
