Hands-on lesson in government is an eye-opener

Government. When you hear the word, oftentimes your brain goes directly to the United States capital, Washington D.C. When you hear the word “government,” you may also immediately think of elected officials in the Senate, the House of Representatives, or even the president of the United States of America. My mind jumped to the same thoughts before I spent a week at The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University participating in the American Legion Boys State.

June 9 through June 15, while Caleb Swanson and I spent our time in Collegeville at Boys State, our classmates Hannah Lundborg and Sydney Hall traveled to Bethel University in St. Paul to participate in Girls State.

The focus of both Boys and Girls State, according to the American Legion website, is on “teaching government from the township to the state level” to students across the nation.

The week is jampacked with learning and activities from the 7 a.m. roll call until the 11 p.m. bedtime. Starting Sunday evening, we were divided into eight different cities. The people within those cities would become our roommates, teammates, and allies for the coming challenges.

The next morning, city elections began for the mayor, clerk, treasurer, councilmen, and police chief positions. By the end of the day, we had attended several classes on topics such as local government or bill writing, and the city officials had carried out several city meetings to prepare for the coming days.

On Tuesday, citizens across the campus were split up into either Federalist or Nationalist parties. Within the parties, the party members decided amongst themselves what they wanted their party to stand for.

On Wednesday, the parties gathered to elect their nominees to run for state offices, such as governor or attorney general. Additionally, the cities nominated their picks for positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Campaign speeches and debates followed on Thursday along with the first Senate and House meetings. Within the House and Senate, bills created by the citizens were introduced, debated on, and either passed or failed by committees or the general vote. Those who were not in the House or Senate took up positions within the county and dealt with several predetermined scenarios ranging from drought to financial crisis. When Friday finally rolled around, the elected state officials began adopting the bills brought to them into law or, on the more rare occasion, vetoing them.

When we weren’t in meetings or writing bills, we had the opportunity to listen to a number of different speakers, including Minnesota lieutenant governor Peggy Flanagan, while the Girls Staters were addressed by the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. “I loved all the speakers,” Sydney said.

We could also play sports, watch a flag retirement ceremony, and participate in either the band or choir, which ended the week with a concert that was open to friends and family of the Boys and Girls Staters.

Having a stable and functioning government, whether it be at the local, state or federal level, is essential to how things get done in our country. Boys and Girls State not only gives students the opportunity to learn about the United States government, it gives them the chance to experience the frustration and joy of passing bills into law. Girls and Boys Staters get to learn the importance of local government, and encounter the challenges that face all levels of government.

When I talked to some of the other participants in Boys State and Girls State, I found we all shared the same benefits and lessons from the experience. First, we met lots of new friends. We were able to meet juniors from across the state, each with different perspectives and experiences. However, our differences allowed us to create diverse parties and address all walks of life. Additionally, the lessons we learned over the week will continue to aid us as we complete our last year of high school and continue into the uncertain future.

Finally, I hope to see an increase in attendance by other high school students in the coming years and would encourage anyone who is even remotely interested in serving their community through government public service to apply.

Contact Pine Knot News intern Jordan Allen via email at [email protected] or by calling 218-878-9332; or just stop by the office at 122 Avenue C and see if he’s in. He’d love to hear your feedback, story ideas, and more.