For Immediate Release: June 24, 2021
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Recognized for their achievement in knowledge of West Virginia history, 223 eighth graders from middle schools across the state will be honored as 2021 Knights and Ladies of the Golden Horseshoe on Friday, June 25, 2021, at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston. The event will be livestreamed on West Virginia Public Broadcasting stations.
The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) will induct students from across the state as a part of the 305th anniversary of the Golden Horseshoe legacy. It is the longest-running program of its kind in the country, and approximately 15,000 8th grade students have been recognized since its inception.
“This is one of the most coveted awards we can bestow upon our students, and I am extremely proud of their efforts to become Ladies or Knights of the Golden Horseshoe,” said State Superintendent of Schools W. Clayton Burch. “Their resilience to achieve this accomplishment during the height of the pandemic is a reflection of their dedication to learning, and I know they will serve as excellent ambassadors for the Mountain State for many years to come.”
The state has administered the test each year since 1931 with 87 students honored from 46 counties in its first year. The exam focuses on Mountain State topics including civics and government, geography and culture, among other categories. A minimum of two students from each county and one student from the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind are selected for the award. The other 110 honorees are selected from the 55 counties based on each county’s eighth-grade population.
Although the 2020 winners were recognized last year by their counties, an abbreviated ceremony to honor these recipients was held earlier today at the West Virginia Culture Center. A complete list of the 2020 winners can be found online here.
The WVDE will host three separate ceremonies to honor the 2021 Golden Horseshoe recipients on Friday, June 25 at the West Virginia Culture Center. A complete list of 2021 winners can be found online here.
The first ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. and will recognize recipients from the following counties: Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Harrison, Jackson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Putnam, Roane, Wayne and Wirt.
The second ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. and will recognize recipients from the following counties: Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pleasants, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Summers, Tyler, Upshur, Webster, Wetzel, Wood and Wyoming.
The third ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. and will recognize recipients from the following counties: Barbour, Berkeley, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Jefferson, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Morgan, Ohio, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Preston, Taylor, Tucker and the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
To learn more about the Golden Horseshoe program, visit the WVDE website or contact Dustin Lambert at drlambert@k12.wv.us.
For media inquiries, contact Christy Day at the West Virginia Department of Education Office of Communications at 304-558-2699 or Christy.Day@k12.wv.us.