WVDE Welcomes Students into Order of the Golden Horseshoe

Ava Donley, Alexander Dotters and Westin Morton, Brooke County’s three winners of the Golden Horseshoe Award, will be honored by the West Virginia Dept. of Education June 9 at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston.
The 95th class of eight-grade winners will be inducted into the Order of the Golden Horseshoe by state superintendent of schools Michele L. Blatt.
Since 1931, the award has recognized students who have shown a mastery of West Virginia state history on the annual Golden Horseshoe exam, making it the longest-standing tradition of its kind in the nation.
This year, 225 students will become Knights of the Golden Horseshoe during the annual knighting ceremony.
 In 1716, Governor of the Virginia Colony Alexander Spotswood led a group of explorers west of the Allegheny Mountains into what is now largely West Virginia. To honor their courage and determination in crossing the rugged terrain, he awarded each participant a small golden horseshoe.
This year commemorates the 310th anniversary of the Golden Horseshoe tradition and its enduring legacy.