The American Legion Post 346 recently recognized six Highland High School Students who participated in the American Legion of Arkansas Boys State and Girls State conference in May of this year.
On Nov. 16, the students: Deaglan Ragan, Charles Tompkins, Taci Humphries, Madalyn Ross, Emily Jones and Emma Sedwick were recognized by the Legion at the Highland Elks Lodge in Cherokee Village.
“This year the American Legion Post 346, Cherokee Village Arkansas was able to provide sponsorship money for two young men and four young ladies to attend the Boys & Girls State program held in May in Searcy at Harding University,” American Legion Commander Dick Sackett said.
The program began over 80 years ago and has since seen over 60,000 participants.
“The program was started in 1940.. It is designed for high school juniors and is a weeklong summer program. The participants are assigned a political party, city and county,” Sackett said. “Throughout the week at Boys and Girls State, the delegates from ground up administer this mock government as if it were real. They run for office, draft and pass legislation, solve municipal challenges and engage constituents like you and me.”
By the completion of the program, delegates have experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand while making life-long memories and friends-all with the guiding principle that “Democracy Depends on ME”.
“I want to thank our sponsors, Centennial Bank, Coldwell Banker/Reality, Cotham & Co United, Real Estate Cherokee Water Works Evolve Bank, First Community Bank, FNBC, King Rhodes Reality, American Land Company, Mike Watson State Farm Agency Ozark Gateway Realty, Shelter Ins, Bobby Woods Southern Pines Realty, Walmart, American Legion Post 346, Commander Dick Sackett (COL USA Ret), Julie Decker (Adjutant) & Post Members thank our local sponsors for making this year’s Boys/Girls State our most successful sponsorship year, sponsoring a total of 6 Highland High School Juniors!”
Each student present was then given a few minutes to speak about their experience, the lessons learned and the knowledge they will carry with them and share with their peers.
Tompkins, Humphries and Ross in turn made their way to the podium with Tompkins first to speak of his experience.
“It was a good experience. I felt like we learned a lot more about government. In my experience at Boys State, I managed to go for the school of instruction for adverting and commerce school of instruction,” Tompkins said. “I feel like those are really well designed, engaging you in how they work and how the processes of businesses and how they do these things. As an overall I feel like everyone had a good time and learned a lot about how things work. I feel like it’s amazing y’all let everyone have this opportunity.”
Humphries and Ross opted to speak together about their experience, jointly noting it is valuable for a multitude of reasons.
“I’d like to start by saying thank you for giving us this opportunity. When I got there to check in at Girls State, I’d told my mom I had no intentions of running for any office. That I hated politics, but when I left there, I discovered the passion I actually do have for politics and how necessary it is to be an advocate for the things I’m passionate about in government. Even if it means putting myself in uncomfortable situations,” Humphries said.
Ross reminded Humphries that she did run for an office, an ambitious position at that for someone who was initially disinterested in politics.
“Believe it or not, the person who said she wasn’t going to run for office actually ran for governor and almost won. It was the best experience of my life. I’ll never forget rally night. Everyone made up chants with my name and it was so cool. There were 600 people in that auditorium and I got to speak on things I’m passionate about and it was just a really neat experience,” Humphries said.
Ross shared an amusing recollection of the night Humphries delivered her speech.
“She was in the Nationalist Party and I was in the Federalist Party. On rally night, federalists and nationalists were on opposite sides. I was on the front row of my party and when she got done with her speech I stood up and cheered and then I turned around and I had 300 of my fellow party members just staring at me,” Ross said laughing at the memory.
Ross said she did run for office, but on a municipal level.
“I was in my city; Lands City and I was the secretary and a ward and, in my county, I was the circuit clerk. Four different people from each city got chosen to go to their party’s convention to either run for an office or just vote . I didn’t want to run because I was scared to get up in front of everyone and talk, but It was neat to listen to everyone’s speeches and then vote on who I think was best,” Ross said.
Ross also said some preconceived notions were also dismissed for her following the experience.
“It was neat to know my vote counted… When I got to girls state, I was nervous. I wasn’t really big in to politics, how the government worked and I was scared I would be behind because a lot of these girls, that is what they live for. When I left there, I felt better knowing how government works and that I have a voice. I went in thinking okay we’re women.. I know that is bad to think, but I left there feeling like I am a woman, I have a voice and a place in politics just like everyone else,” Ross said.
Ross recalled a statement from Humphries’ speech “There were signs and when Taci gave her speech, she referenced that and said, ‘there is a seat for you at this table’. I thought about that too, because yes! There is a seat for us at the table,” Ross said.
Girls State was unfortunately cut short by an outbreak of illness that effected approximately 200 students, however; Ross and Humphries both stated they plan to return to Girls State in the future to serve as counselors.
As one might imagine with an organization spanning nearly a century, many names of note appear on the rolls of others who have attended the American Legion’s Boys State and Girls State conferences.
Some participants include, Tom Brokaw, Bill Clinton, Neil Armstrong, Mike Huckabee, Michael Jordan, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Wahlberg, Lynne Cheney, Kaye Bye, Ann Richards, Leeza Gibbon, Jane Pauley and more.
