The “George Drinks Water” robotics team from John Marshall High School–Sophie Cunningham, Lilly Bergen, and Knox Wilson–took home the Design Award at the West Virginia High School Robotics State Championship this past Monday at Fairmont State University. That win punched their ticket to the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas.

Coach Cole Simms said, “I’m so proud of everything these students have accomplished this season. The dedication and drive to spend long hours studying, building, coding, and testing their robot is amazing.”

The trio will head to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas from May 6-8 to compete in the VEX V5 Robotics Competition High School Event, joining teams from around the world.

Marshall County’s younger robotics whizzes followed suit the next day. The Moundsville Middle School robotics team “The Return of Self-Destruct”–Juda Jones, Leo Nguyen, Isaiah Toothman, and Kingsley Zheng–earned a spot at the VEX Robotics World Championship this past Tuesday at the West Virginia State Middle School Robotics Tournament. Two Sherrard Middle School teams, “Killer Frequency” with Kolson Shepard, Blake Oliver, Nathan Spangler, Chase Nolan, and Josh Naome, and “Lil’ George” with Zane Gast, Evan Cunningham, Gavin Pickett, Kabe Blake, and Joziah Baker, also qualified. “Lil’ George” picked up the Excellence Award at the Fairmont State University event as well.

The middle schoolers will head to Dallas from May 9-11.

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John Marshall High School will hold its fifth annual Festival of Steel today Saturday, March 22, at 1 p.m. in the school gymnasium.

The event will bring together local steel drum bands, including John Marshall High, Sherrard Middle School, Wheeling Park High, Bridge Street Middle, Wheeling Middle, and Steel Cassa.

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The public is invited to the Marshall County Schools Celebration of the Arts Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex. The art show opens at noon, with performances kicking off at 1 p.m.

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The Monarch Company at John Marshall High School is set to perform its spring musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, with book, music, and lyrics by Clark Gesner.

The cast features JJ Brown as Charlie Brown, Chloe Pickett as Sally Brown, Ella Games as Lucy Van Pelt, Kal Hill as Snoopy, Jacob Boyette as Schroeder, Mason Boyette as Linus Van Pelt, Morgan Carlin as Violet, Cheyenne Harvey as Frieda, and Peyton Brown as Peppermint Patty. A live pit band includes Joan Palmer on reed, Kailey Filben on percussion, Ricky Robinson on drums, Alina Holliday on violin, Sarah McBee on viola, and Clay Howard on bass. Megan Gary is stage manager, with Trinity Borchik and Emeline Hyde assisting, while AJ Tucker, Chevy Large, and Stella Himrod handle sound, AJ Pintus runs lights, and Layla Rodgers operates the spotlight. Tracey Filben directs, with Elaina DePetro as technical director, Justin Jones as music director, Anna Harsh as choreographer, Tony Wood as sound production head, Matt Ali as construction head, and Jason George as backstage advisor.

Performances are at the John Marshall Center for Performing Arts at 7 p.m. Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 30.

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As we wrap up this week’s Marshall Memo, Moundsville’s still reeling from the fire that tore through downtown a few weeks back on Friday, March 7.

It started at the old Remke Furniture building on Jefferson Avenue and swallowed six structures before over 20 fire crews from Marshall, Ohio, and Wetzel counties got it under control. No one was hurt, but the smoke and flames hit hard, leaving businesses like Red Dragon Tae Kwon Do and the Toys for Tots outpost in ruins.