CHARLESTON, W. Va. — Two Berkeley County students are getting high praise for their swordsmithing.
First Lady Cathy Justice announced the winners of the First Lady Student Artist Series Sword Smithing Design Contest in a ceremony this week at the West Virginia Culture Center.
The winning sword will now be used to knight the winners of all future Golden Horseshoe recipients, starting with the next ceremony on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
First place and a prize of $500 went to
Avery Nine and Jillian Eicher of
Musselman High School and the
James Rumsey Technical Institute in Berkeley County.
As part of this Student Artist Series, four West Virginia Career and Technical Education Centers forged top sword designs out of metal. They were James Rumsey Technical Center, Monongalia Technical Center, Randolph Technical Center, and Roane Jackson VoTech Center.
The West Virginia Department of Education awarded a $1000 grant to each of the Centers to cover costs associated with the creation of the sword and to support their programs.
The 1st place sword’s Career Center – James Rumsey Technical Center – will receive a total of $5000 in a grant to cover costs and support their Career Center Program.