Courtesy: Andrea Danborn
The Hemingford American Legion Post #9 is proud to announce that Ryan Ragsdale and Jacob Bryner have been selected for Boys State and the Hemingford American Legion Auxiliary Unit #9 has selected Laney Dahlberg for Girls State.
The American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs for high school juniors, which focus on exploring the mechanics of American government and politics. The programs are sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary respectively.
All three students will be attending the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln from June 1st through the 7th. During that time they will study local, county and state government processes in this nonpartisan political learning experience. Every spring, the Boys State and Girls State program provides approximately 25,000 young men and women with hands-on educational opportunity designed to instruct tomorrow’s leaders in the privileges and duties of responsible citizenship.
Delegates receive special instruction in parliamentary procedure and organize themselves into two mythical political parties. Then they campaign, hold rallies, debate and ultimately vote to elect city, county and state officials. Once elected to office, delegates are sworn in and perform their prescribed duties. Citizens not elected to office are given appointments and visit the offices of their elected or appointed counterparts in actual state, county, and local government.
Two outstanding citizens, known as “senators” are selected from each of the 50 Girls State and Boys State sessions held across the country to represent their state at the American Legion Boys Nation and American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation held at Washington D.C. in July.