CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A team from the Cabell County Career Technology Center has earned the top prize for West Virginia First Lady Cathy Justice’s Golden Horseshoe Knighting Bench design contest.
According to the first lady’s office, the bench design created by Austin Morrison and Marin Wickline with the Cabell County Career Technology Center was selected for the new knighting bench to be used in future Golden Horseshoe knighting ceremonies in the Mountain State.
As the first prize winner, Morrison and Wickline won a prize of $300 for their work. The Cabell County Career Technology Center will also be receiving a $2,600 grant to cover costs and support for the Career Center Program.
First Lady Justice first announced the contest in February as part of her First Lady Student Artist Series. The top five designs were chosen in March, and the finalists then partnered with the West Virginia Career and Technical Education Center to create their designs out of wood.
The top four designs include:
- 1st Place: Austin Morrison and Marin Wickline – Cabell County Career Technology Center in Cabell County
- 2nd Place: Audrey Jackson and Chaela Harrison – United Technical Center in Doddridge, Harrison, and Taylor counties
- 3rd Place: Ava Bratton – Roane County High School through the Roane-Jackson Career Technical Center in Roane County
- Honorable Mention: Emily Garrett – Braxton County High School in Braxton County.
All four of the top winners received a monetary prize for their work – $300 for first prize, $200 for second prize, $100 for third prize and $75 for honorable mention.
“The Governor and I are so proud of these students and their creativity,” First Lady Cathy Justice said. “Combining design work and craftsmanship to create a piece that will become part of West Virginia history is very special.”
When First Lady Justice first announced the contest, she said the idea to give students an opportunity to design a new knighting bench came from last year’s contest to create a new knighting sword for the ceremony.
