Cumberland County Public Schools (CuCPS) was presented with two awards at the annual Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Conference on Education, which was held in Richmond on July 22. CuCPS received a first place award in the Food for Thought competition and a third place award in the Excellence in Workforce Readiness competition.

The Food for Thought competition was created in 2012 to educate, engage and empower school leaders to address childhood hunger and provide all students in Virginia with healthier, more nutritious school meals. The competition is divided into three separate categories — Healthy School Meals, Meal Access to Fight Hunger and Wellness and Physical Activity. This year CuCPS won in the category of Healthy School Meals.

The Excellence in Workforce Readiness award seeks to recognize Virginia school divisions that have achieved excellence in workforce readiness through an innovative program/project within their communities. Emphasis is placed on communication and collaboration with the business community, student engagement with the business community, or student entrepreneurial activities. The CuCPS program was entitled “Ticket2Tomorrow: Developing Work-Ready Students.”