CHARLESTON, WV – First Lady Cathy Justice is inviting all 7th grade students across West Virginia to participate in a St. Patrick’s Day essay contest. All 7th grade students from public schools, private schools, as well as those who are home-schooled, are all welcome to participate in the latest installment of the First Lady’s “Student Artist Series.”

Eligible students are encouraged to think about the following Irish proverb:

“A good friend is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have.”

Then, in 500 words or less, write an essay about a friend they feel lucky to have and explain why.

Students may submit an essay via email to First.Lady@wv.gov or mail their entries to:

The Governor’s Mansion
1716 Kanawha Boulevard East
Charleston, WV 25305

With their submission, students MUST include their contact information, including their phone number, email address, school name, county, teacher name, and teacher email address.

Essays MUST be received by Monday, March 8, 2021.

Winners will be announced by Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Prizes will be awarded to winning essays. For questions, please contact the First Lady’s Special Assistant, Katie Speece, at 304-558-3588 or kate.e.speece@wv.gov.

This will be the eighth installment of the Student Artist Series; an art program started to promote the importance of the arts in schools throughout West Virginia.

The First Lady Student Artist Series started with Mother’s Day 2018 and was designed to coordinate special holidays with a related student art project. Each initiative is tailored to specific grade levels, so students of all ages get the opportunity to participate.