Over the Summer!

Going to State!

Boys State and Girls state are summer leadership and citizenship programs sponsored by The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary for high school juniors, respectively. Boys and Girls State programs both began in 1937 and are held in each of the U.S. states excluding Hawaii (usually at a college within the state). In general, male and female programs are held separately, but at least seven states - Georgia, Nebraska, Oregon, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island - host Boys and Girls State on the same campus on the same week.

These two students were nominated by their high school teachers and attended the Girls and Boys State program in the Austin area this past summer.

My Experience at Girls State

It kind of felt like going to college: having to turn in your medical forms and being assigned to rooms. My roommate for the week was Sara, we called each other Roomie. There was a lot of singing, that part I did not enjoy. We got up early and stayed up late. I was tired. I wasn't as confident as I thought I was. I didn't run for any office mainly because I did not want to and I didn't think I could win. The girls had speeches made, the confidence, leadership ability. I had some of that back at home, but at Girls State I didn't. It wasn't as hard for me to make friends there like it is to make in Texarkana. I still keep in touch with some of the girls as well. I was in City D, we call ourselves the Dynamites. One thing that I loved about Girls State was the debating. It was interesting to see how the other girls felt about serious issues in our country. We talked about abortion, immigration, police brutality, and much more. I'm usually not a person who gets nervous or anything but at Girls State I was. My debate I did on police brutality was so good I was told I should have debated at the capitol. The capitol was amazing. I had a chance to see our Texas Representatives. Girls State was an enjoyable experience I will never forget.

My Experience at Boys State

Boy’s State

Clay Bourne

What are your thoughts about being nominated to attend this function?

I was very glad I had the opportunity to go.

Tell us about what you did at Boy’s State:

I and other boys, selected from all over Texas, went to Austin where we were put into a mock government. We passed laws and learned how our government works.

Tell us about the friendships you made while you were there:

At first I was surrounded by a lot of people I didn't know, but after a while a lot of us became great friends. We all learned things about each other and a lot of us were very alike. I ended up becoming great friends with some of the people I met.

Your thoughts on the program as a whole and would you recommend it to others?

The program was very fun and we learned a lot about government officials. I would definitely recommend it to others, especially leadership kids who may be interested in being interested in government.

"The difference between ordinary and extra ordinary is that little extra."

Jimmy Johnson

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