Montana Boys State ended on June 11, and Turner delegate, Trever Kimmel hopes Laci Maloney, who will attend Girls State this week as Turner High School's representative, has a similarly positive experience. High school girls arrived in Helena on Sunday, June 13, for the annual Girls State program.

With each level of government structured in the same way as its real-world counterpart, the students are organized into mock cities, counties, and a state. Delegates design posters and writes speeches to campaign, then hold elections and take on the leadership roles in those governments – from city councilman to state governor.

Kimmel reported that although he ran for several offices, he ended up serving on a city council and as a committee chair. "Learning about the politics and the function of the various governments was interesting," he said. "I also met lots of new people."

As his most memorable moment, however, Kimmel named meeting the veterans. "Joe Yeoman was one of our counsellors, and I really enjoyed listening to his stories about Vietnam and just history in general."

Yeoman is District 1 Commander with the American Legion of Montana. He also serves as the Adjutant for Post 41 in Glasgow.

About his experience at Boys State, Liam Edwards from Chinook High School labeled the time spent as "rich and kinda hard to describe." He began by commenting on the speakers: "Throughout our time in Helena, we heard from people like the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Governor, and even Senator Daines. While they were definitely interesting people to hear from, what really caught me personally was when we headed down to the Capitol for the day to practice government in the House and Senate.

"I'm with a lot of people who complain about how it takes FOREVER for the government to do anything. But when I was sitting in the House trying to pass the legislation I wanted-which was a bill about teacher retirement-I realized how complex our governmental process really is. That was probably the most insightful thing for me. With heavy advocating for the bill on my friend's and my part, we got it to pass the House. But it got shot down in the Senate pretty fast.

"Attending Boys State kind of brought me to a whole new level of appreciation for our leaders at the city, state, and federal levels," Edwards explained.

This is the 75th year that the American Legion has run the Boys State program in Montana and the 73rd year for Girls State. The two programs were created to teach students about the rights, privileges, duties, and responsibilities of being active citizens.

"Montana American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) members are looking forward to another successful and fulfilling ALA Girls State and celebrating our 73rd year of guiding young women to become patriotic, knowledgeable stewards of freedom and democracy," stated Jen Dalrymple, Director of Montana ALA Girls State.

According to Dalrymple, the focus of ALA Girls State is on teaching young women about the democratic process and how our republic works at the state and national levels.

"Guided by the principle, 'For God and Country,' the program epitomizes the Auxiliary's mission to honor those who have brought us our freedom by continuing to train young women to be leaders grounded in patriotism and Americanism. Attendees develop leadership skills, an appreciation for active citizenship, and a lasting foundation for personal and professional growth. The knowledge, memories, and friendships gained at ALA Girls State will last a lifetime," Dalrymple said.

Laci Maloney is in Helena this week for Montana Girls State,

Leaders of the two programs hope not only to impart those elements of government but to help the delegates build connections with people who have very different backgrounds and views from their own.