West Virginia celebrates its 1863 statehood on Monday, and, right on cue, it’s time to say: All hail the Knights and Ladies of the Golden Horseshoe.
That’s the award that honors Mountain State eighth-graders who have demonstrated a multitude of knowledge about the place they call home, from civics to current events.
A total of 221 students from all 55 counties and the state Schools for the Deaf and Blind were recognized earlier this week in Charleston.
State Schools Superintendent Clayton Burch said his respect for the collective achievement of the most-recent inductees runs deeper than a West Virginia coal mine.
“The work ethic exemplified by this class is evidence they will be incredible ambassadors for the Mountain State,” he said. “I look forward to the many wonderful things they will achieve.”
Mon’s honorees: Jacob Woodall and Rachel Ogershok, both of St. Francis Central Catholic School; Maxwell Warner and Antonio Sellaro, both of Suncrest Middle; Madison Wiseman and Emma Teter, both of South Middle; and Zadie Behnke, of Mountaineer Middle.
Preston recipients: Amelia Olsen, Bruceton School; Alison Schmidle and William Schmidle, both of Central Preston Middle; and Coltin Myers, of South Preston School.
Rebecca Chmiel, a student at University High School, also won second place in a swordsmith and forging competition to update the crest of the ceremonial sword used to recognize the knights and ladies inducted to the Golden Horseshoe ranks.
She worked on her project at Mon’s Technical Education Center.
Since 1931, the Golden Horseshoe test has been an academic, and Appalachian, rite of passage in West Virginia.
The symbolism pre-dates the state, in fact.
In 1716, Alexander Spotswood, who was lieutenant governor of Virginia, presented horseshoes painted gold to honor the bravery of a group of explorers who cut a swath across the Allegheny Mountains west of Virginia.
Nearly 150 years after that offering, west of Virginia would become West Virginia.
It’s a point of state pride, said Angel Conley, who teaches West Virginia history at South Middle.
Her classes in that subject are known for the state History Bowl champions and Golden Horseshoe winners they generate.
“This isn’t ‘boring’ history,” said Conley, a native of the colonial-steeped Eastern Panhandle.
“It’s the cool stuff that stays with them and makes them proud to be from here,” the teacher said.
In a television appearance in 2012, Jennifer Garner gave talk show host Conan O’Brien a quick Mountain State primer.
The movie actress and Charleston native name-checked all the touchstones — state bird, state animal, state song and the like — in the spirit of a Golden Horseshoe study guide.
“You wax rhapsodic about West Virginia,” the talk show host marveled.
“Who doesn’t?” came the reply.
In the meantime, Gov. Jim Justice, who has been known to do the same, will become an honorary knight as part of West Virginia Day activities at the State Culture Center.
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