The Virginia State Bar and its Litigation Section announce the winners of the 2012 Law in Society Award Competition for Virginia high-school students.

Aakash Shah and Zachary Peak, both juniors at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, received honorable mention in the contest. Each received $250.

Isabel Edwards, a junior at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, won first place with her essay titled “To Protect the Server and to Serve as the Protector: Richardson Middle School as the Cyberbully Police.”

The Virginia State Bar sponsors the Law in Society Award contest annually to increase appreciation of the legal system among high-school students. This year’s essay theme had students consider a hypothetical case involving cyberbullying at a middle school. Students were asked what actions the school should take and whether they believed the school could be held legally responsible for any of the cyberbullying that has occurred. They were also asked to address the issue of whether the parents of the bully could be held responsible for his actions.

For more information on the contest, visit www.vsb.org.