×
×
homepage logo

Golden Horseshoe Winners Honored

By Staff | May 13, 2009

Pictured from left are Wetzel County’s Golden Horseshoe honorees: Sam Brookover, Teacher Craig Schneid, Julianne McIlvain, and Brent Horner, all of New Martinsville School. Schneid was an Honorary Golden Horseshoe recipient. During his teaching career, he has had 25 Golden Horseshoe winners from his class.

Every year since 1931, eighth grade students across the state have studied West Virginia’s history and taken the Golden Horseshoe test. Top scorers each year are invited to join the prestigious Knights and Ladies of the Golden Horseshoe Society.

Three Wetzel County students-Sam Brookover, Julianne McIlvain, and Brent Horner, all of New Martinsville School-were inducted into the society on May 1. Also, Teacher Craig Schneid was an Honorary Golden Horseshoe recipient that day. During his teaching career, he has had 25 Golden Horseshoe winners from his class.

The Golden Horseshoe Test has been administered in West Virginia each year since 1931 and is the longest running program of its kind in any state. The top-scoring students in each county receive the prestigious award and are inducted as “knights” and “ladies” of the Golden Horseshoe Society.

One of the highlights of the eighth-grade year is the opportunity for a student to become a Knight or Lady of the Golden Horseshoe. This prestigious program takes its name from the golden horseshoes given to the early explorers of West Virginia. In 1716 the Governor of the Virginia colony, Alexander Spotswood, saw the need for exploration of the land west of the Allegheny Mountains, most of which is now West Virginia. The governor organized a party of about 50 men, all of whom adopted the pledge, “Sic jurat transcendere monte”, which means “Thus he swears to cross the mountains.” Governor Spotswood presented each member of his party with a small golden horseshoe to commemorate the bravery of those who crossed the mountains into Western Virginia, beginning the Golden Horseshoe tradition.

The program of studies in combination with state awards is unique in its statewide recognition of scholastic achievement. Each year approximately 22,000 eighth grade students spend the school year studying a comprehensive West Virginia curriculum. The curriculum engages the students in the intense study of the history, geography, economy, and government of the Mountain State. The primary goal of the program is to promote pride in the state, develop intellectual and participatory skills, as well as foster attitudes that are necessary for students to participate as effective, involved, and responsible citizens. The State Department of Education, in effect, uses the Golden Horseshoe award to honor “all-state” West Virginia Studies students.

Each year 221 eighth-grade students are honored for their knowledge of the state in a one-day ceremony held in Charleston. The Golden Horseshoe winners have outscored their classmates in school and county wide testing competitions and made top scores on a West Virginia Department of Education test which measures their grasp of West Virginia Studies. Students also write an essay focusing on some aspect of West Virginia current events. A minimum of two students from each county and one student from the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind at Romney are selected for the award. The other 110 honorees are selected from the 55 counties based on each county’s eighth-grade population.

While in Charleston to celebrate the Golden Horseshoe Day, the honorees are treated to a tour of the Capitol and Cultural Center and a luncheon held in their honor. The high point of the Golden Horseshoe Ceremony is the induction of the students into the Golden Horseshoe Society. The State Superintendent of Schools presides over the induction ceremony. Each student kneels and, with a tap of a sword on the shoulder, is dubbed either a Knight or Lady of the Golden Horseshoe Society. Each student is presented a Golden Horseshoe pin and the 70-year honor and tradition continues.