PETERSBURG, VA. (March 27, 2026)— Petersburg City Public Schools (PCPS) is proud to announce that on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Isaac Forrest, a tenth grade student at Petersburg High School, received third place in the high school category of the 2026 Virginia School Boards Association’s (VSBA) Southside Regional Art Contest. 

Student art from the elementary, middle, and high school levels were displayed from each school division in the competition and were judged at the regional forum for area school board members.

“The Petersburg School Board extends our heartfelt congratulations to Isaac Forrest. It is clear that Forrest is a talented, artistic, and dedicated student, and we are proud of his selection by VSBA in the Southside Regional Art Contest. In PCPS, we emphasize the value of art in our schools and aim to nurture creativity and innovation within our students so that students graduate as well-rounded individuals,” said School Board Chair Kenneth Pritchett. 

The VSBA Regional Art Contest was started in 1989 to promote the artistic talents of Virginia’s public school students. For each of the nine VSBA regions, a winner is chosen for the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The winning art is framed and displayed in the offices of the VSBA in Charlottesville.

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Petersburg City Public Schools serves approximately 4,500 students from preschool to adult across nine schools in Petersburg, VA. PCPS is home to 672 staff members who serve the school division community. The mission of PCPS is to develop and empower students through innovation and collaboration so they demonstrate virtue, good character and make meaningful contributions to society. The vision of PCPS is to transform and expand opportunities for learning so that every student graduates with a life filled with choices: Enrolled, Enlisted, Employed, and Entrepreneurship.