Five juniors selected for Boys, Girls State

Juniors Brandon Dix, Justin Marshall and Luke Zahari will attend Boys State and fellow juniors Alea Davis and Natalie Rokes will attend Girls State over the summer. Boys and Girls State are week-long government simulation programs offered to selected juniors throughout Iowa. Girls and Boys State participants learn about government in a practical sense and public speaking through simulated elections and government jobs.

Psychology teacher Charles Blair-Broeker said Boys and Girls State offer significant opportunities for the students.

“[Students] learn about political skills, organizational skills and they get a chance to meet people from the state government,” Blair-Broeker said. The social studies department decided which students should attend the program. For Girls State, an American Legion Auxiliary representative also assisted in the selection process. They looked for students with good character who are interested and involved in social studies classes.

“I’m excited to go. It’s a good opportunity to live out the democratic style of government. It should be fun,” Zahari said.

Seniors Nate Hua, Sara Gabriele, Ryan Giarusso and Alex Stewart attended the programs last summer.

Stewart is still friends with a lot of the people she met at Girls State. “It was a really good experience. I think at first when you get there you don’t know what’s going on,” Stewart said, but by the end of the program, she remembered everyone becoming more knowledgeable about the program and strategizing for the elections. “It helped me understand government a lot better,” Stewart said.