A Falls Church middle school student won a region-wide “If I Were Mayor” essay competition through a plea for sidewalk improvements.
Willa Thom, representing Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, was honored for her achievement at the June 22 Falls Church City Council meeting. She had competed in the Virginia Municipal League’s Region 5, which includes much of Northern Virginia.
Thom’s entry focused on pedestrian safety.
“A unique feature of Falls Church is its amazing walkability, and walking is a primary mode of transportation for lots of residents — especially its youth population,” she wrote. “Walking is a wonderful part of our Little City, but it could be improved by implementing features to keep walkers safe.”
Her main thrust was touting the benefits of more sidewalks:
“Walking on sidewalks is a vast improvement from walking on the road, and can help disabled people, elderly people and people who just need a space to walk. The statistics shocked me, with sidewalks able to prevent up to 88% of car-pedestrian accidents according to the Department of Transportation. More sidewalks would improve safety and surely improve resident mobility.”
“Though we had fantastic submissions, the one that stood out among everybody here in Region 5 was Willa’s,” said Josette Bulova, policy communications coordinator for the Virginia Municipal League.
Jeffrey Buck, a civics teacher at Mary Ellen Henderson, was the school’s sponsor for Thom’s entry. Regional winners received a plaque and $150 gift card.
Letty Hardi, who was re-elected mayor by her colleagues earlier this year, congratulated Thom and said she had read the award-winning essay.
Thom’s victory marked the sixth time in seven years that students from Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School were named winners in Region 5. Previous recipients included Madeline Sherwood (2024), Talia Forster (2023), Rose Weatherly (2022), Claire Weatherly (2021) and Samantha Grooms (2020).
The 2026 statewide winner was Serene Colden, a student at Lindsay Middle School in Hampton. All winning essays were featured in the May issue of Virginia Town & City magazine.
The Virginia Municipal League was established in 1905. Membership today includes 37 cities and 169 towns. While most county governments are members of the Virginia Association of Counties, nine — including Arlington and Loudoun — also hold Virginia Municipal League membership.
