The Brooke County Review
WEIRTON, W.Va. — A Weirton student claimed the bronze medal in a recent international competition that matched his technology skills against those of students from around the world. Andrew Manteau, a 2024 Weir High School graduate, represented West Virginia and the U.S. during the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC) in Anaheim, California. He earned third place in the Microsoft Excel (Office 2019) category as the only student from the U.S. to medal among more than 105,000 submissions from 87 countries.
The MOSWC, currently in its 22nd year, is an annual competition that tests students’ knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. More than 900,000 participants around the world completed an exam in 2024. Students competing in the Microsoft Excel (Office 2019) category were tasked with creating an informational document for a client that showcased their creative skills and knowledge of the software.
“This past year, when I took the Excel certification test, I ended up getting a perfect score. But I didn’t even expect to get first in the U.S. when I competed at nationals. I advanced to the World competition, and I was just happy to be there,” said Manteau. “Third in the world is hard to fully comprehend.”
“Students in the Mountain State are capable of tremendous success, and Andrew’s accomplishment is proof of that,” said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt. “He has committed himself to academic excellence through career technical education (CTE) and other pursuits that have set him on the world stage. I am honored to congratulate him, his family and his instructors who all fostered a love of learning.”
