| More than 200 West Virginia students were knighted today in Charleston as Knights and Ladies of the Golden Horseshoe.
Allison N. Gumbarevic and Jordan Brooke Mace received the honors for Calhoun, according to the State Department of Education.
The awards are given based on test taking, proving knowledge of the state's history and culture.
The Golden Horseshoe originated in the early 1700s in Virginia when then-Governor 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 to explore the frontier," said West Virginia Department of Education Social Studies Coordinator Regina Scotchie. "At the end of the exploration, he presented each member of the party with a golden horseshoe."
The Golden Horseshoe Test has been administered in West Virginia each year since 1931 and is the longest running program of its kind in the United States.
The exam tests student knowledge on West Virginia citizenship, civics and government, economics, geography, history and current events.
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