Four Houston High School students have been selected to participate in the American Legion Boys and Girls State programs this June at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
Dalton Dzurick and Jaekan Moss will be at Boys State June 15 through 22, while Shyanna McPherson and Erika Booker will go to Girls State June 23 through 29. The four were nominated by HHS and chosen based on their leadership, citizenship, academics and character.
Boys and Girls State are “pure democracies” in that all citizens may vote and are eligible to hold office. The programs are designed to educate and train Missouri’s young leaders in functional citizenship, leadership and government and give students a broad-based understanding of government and politics and their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Nearly 1,000 students will build and entire state government in a single week.
Sponsors afford the opportunity for students to participate through a donation that covers the program fee. The four from HHS are sponsored by Houston’s American Legion Post 41 and other local businesses, organizations and individuals who understand the importance and value of the programs.
Boys and Girls State is a 501(c)(3) organization and staffs are comprised of educational, legal, professional and civic leaders who volunteer their time.
Students who will be juniors in the 2019-’20 school year and are interested in attending the 2020 Boys or Girls State sessions should contact their school counselor next fall or go online to the programs’ website. Anyone interested in sponsoring student for Boys or Girls State can call the programs’ headquarters at 877-342-5627.