CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) will recognize 221 eighth-grade students from middle schools across the state as 2022 Knights of the Golden Horseshoe on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston. The event will be livestreamed on West Virginia Public Broadcasting stations.
The WVDE will induct these students as a part of the 306th anniversary of the Golden Horseshoe legacy, recognizing them for their achievement in knowledge of West Virginia history. It remains the longest-running program of its kind in the country. Approximately 15,000 eighth-grade students have been recognized since its inception.
“Our students have worked diligently for this moment to become Knights of the Golden Horseshoe,” said State Superintendent of Schools W. Clayton Burch. “It is clear their passion for knowledge and resilience to achieve this accomplishment will make them incredible ambassadors for the Mountain State. I look forward to all of their future success.”
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, government, geography, culture and numerous other categories. A minimum of two students from each county and one student from the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind are selected for the award. The other honorees are selected from the 55 counties based on each county’s eighth-grade population.
The WVDE will host three separate ceremonies to honor the 2022 Golden Horseshoe recipients on Tuesday, June 14, at the West Virginia Culture Center. A complete list of 2022 winners can be found online on the WVDE website.
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 dllambert@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.
