Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – Gov. Patrick Morrisey unveiled Mountain Moves, a new board game from the West Virginia Department of Tourism, at Oak Hill Middle School on Monday. Eighth grade teachers at the school received the first three copies.
Tourism Secretary Kayla Kessinger said the game plays similar to the Game of Life. It is becoming available to schools across the state as part of a push to bring tourism into the classroom.
“Our goal at the Department of Tourism is to increase interest in tourism careers,” Kessinger said. “And so today we’re talking to the eighth graders in their West Virginia history classes about the role that tourism plays in our communities.”
According to the state Department of Tourism, about one in every 15 jobs in West Virginia is tied to tourism.
“It’ll give kids ideas, like, that’s actually a good job,” said Greyson Hess, an eighth grader at Oak Hill Middle School.
Kessinger also quizzed groups of students on the state flower, the state animal and other West Virginia trivia.
“It was really cool. We’ve been learning about a lot of stuff in our social studies class, but she mentioned a lot of things that I’ve never heard about,” said Kamden Legg, also an eighth grader.
The lessons also led to conversations about why West Virginians take such pride in their home.
“I think we get forgotten… There’s such a big community in West Virginia, like you go everywhere and people are so polite and nice and everyone is just together. It’s like everybody’s a big family,” eighth grader Lilly Lockhart said.
Kessinger said West Virginians’ pride in their state stands out compared to other parts of the country.
“And we have all the reason to be proud… And I think that starts by really understanding who we are, where we come from, and understanding the story that is really written into all of us because of the mountains that raised us,” she said.
