State honors Golden Horseshoe winners
Seven Wood County students earn award
CHARLESTON — Local eighth-graders are among the 218 from across the state receiving recognition as Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.
The students received the award for their outstanding knowledge of West Virginia history and culture.
In Wood County, seven students received the recognition this year: Jena Boice, Joey Ferch, Nathaniel Marks and Brandon Nguyen from Parkersburg Catholic High School; Brett VanMeter from Edison Middle School; Cecelia Fatta from Jackson Middle School; and Lauren Sexton, homeschooled.
Other area winners by county are:
* Calhoun: Ronnie Laughlin and Philine Lippmann.
* Doddridge: Alyssa Barnes and Sara Singer.
* Gilmer: Paige Arbogast and Caliegh Cawthon.
* Jackson: Davis Haynes, Houston Kessell, Sarah Smith and Savanna Stolper.
* Pleasants: Lara Fetty and Aaron Stull.
* Ritchie: Joden Juilfs, Holden McCloy and Gideon Mossor.
* Roane: Kendra Green, Tristan Pettit and Savannah Unger.
* Tyler: Aaron Moore and Abigail Thompson.
* Wirt: Austin Dille and Logan Powell.
In early May, West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Steven Paine inducted students from the 55 counties as Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Society during a ceremony at the Culture Center in Charleston. The Golden Horseshoe award is considered among the greatest honors bestowed upon students in West Virginia.
“I am proud of each student who earned this elite honor,” Paine said. “The Golden Horseshoe recognizes students’ appreciation and understanding of West Virginia and promotes pride in our state.”
West Virginia has administered the Golden Horseshoe test each year since 1931 and is the longest running program of its kind in the United States. The top-scoring students in each county receive the prestigious award. Each county has at least two winners. The exam tests students’ knowledge on West Virginia citizenship, civics and government, economics, geography, history and current events.
This year marks the 301st anniversary of the Golden Horseshoe tradition, which began in the early 1700s in Virginia when then-Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood saw the need for exploration of the land west of the Allegheny Mountains, most of which is now West Virginia.
Spotswood organized a party of about 50 men to explore the frontier. At the end of the exploration, he presented each member of the party with a golden horseshoe.
Translated from Latin, the inscription reads, “Thus he swears to cross the mountains.” On the other side was written, “Order of the Golden Horseshoe.” The recipients became known as “The Knights and Ladies of the Golden Horseshoe.”