CHARLESTON – It has been 15 years since a girl from Davis Thomas Elementary Middle School has been selected as a Lady of the Golden Horseshoe, and this year, both winners were from DTEMS and both girls – Lindsey Hull and Abbie Eakle. This is the first time ever both winners have been from DTEMS.
According to a press release from the West Virginia Department of Education, 218 eighth-grade students from across West Virginia were honored during a ceremony at the Culture Center in Charleston. The Golden Horseshoe award is considered one of the greatest honors bestowed upon students in West Virginia. Students were knighted by West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steven Paine. The award recognizes students for their outstanding knowledge of West Virginia history and culture.
“I am proud of each student who earned this elite honor,” Paine said. “The Golden Horseshoe recognizes students’ appreciation and understanding of West Virginia and promotes pride in our state.”
Lindsey said she is a fan of West Virginia history and said she learns a lot about the state by watching the news every morning with her father.
“I gain lots of knowledge on our family vacations,” Lindsey said. “Mom and dad take us to a lot of state parks for vacation.”
On the girls’ visit to Charleston they met with local Delegate Tony Lewis, who gave the girls and their family a ‘background’ tour of the Capitol and talked to them for nearly two hours. He spent his entire lunch showing them places the public tours do not visit, and introduced Lindsey and Abbie to several Delegates, Senators and the Head of the Senate.
Lindsey said she was a bit nervous when she went up to be knighted.
“It was nerve racking with everyone looking at me on the stage, but it was an awesome feeling to be one of the few,” Lindsey said.
Lindsey is the daughter of Robert and Tina Hull. She participated in the Youth in Government Seminar and she performed during Tucker County Day at the Legislature.
Abbie said she enjoyed her time in Charleston and said she was glad to see so many of the friends she made during the Governor’s School for Math and Science at the Golden Horseshoe Ceremony.
“I attended the Governor’s School in Morgantown at West Virginia University last summer,” Abbie said. “It was great to see friends I met there and be able to network with them again.”
Abbie said during the ceremony, she and Lindsey had to wait quite a while to go on stage and be knighted because they went alphabetically by county.
“We received Golden Horseshoe pins and ribbons,” Abbie said. “It was a very exciting day.”
Abbie also participated in the Youth in Government Seminar where she said they toured the Cultural Center and Museum, met the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Judges, visited the House and Senate and met and had dinner with their local Delegates and Senators.
Abbie is the daughter of Coach Shane and Dr. Amber Eakle. When she graduates high school, she plans to study to be an engineer.
Both Abbie and Lindsey will attend Tucker County High School next year and both said they are very excited for the upcoming challenges.
Also in attendance at this year’s Golden Horseshoe Ceremony were Governor Justice’s Chief of Staff Nick Casey, Secretary of State Mac Warner, Secretary of the Department of Education and the Arts Gayle Manchin and State Board of Education member Miller Hall.
West Virginia has administered the Golden Horseshoe test each year since 1931 and is the longest running program of its kind in the United States. The top-scoring students in each county receive the prestigious award. Each county has at least two winners. The exam tests students’ knowledge on West Virginia citizenship, civics and government, economics, geography, history and current events.
This year marks the 301st anniversary of the Golden Horseshoe tradition, which began in the early 1700s in Virginia when then-Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood saw the need for exploration of the land west of the Allegheny Mountains, most of which is now West Virginia.
Spotswood organized a party of about 50 men to explore the frontier. At the end of the exploration, he presented each member of the party with a golden horseshoe.
Translated from Latin, the inscription reads, “Thus he swears to cross the mountains.” On the other side was written, “Order of the Golden Horseshoe.” The recipients became known as “The Knights and Ladies of the Golden Horseshoe.”
