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| (Me) and Brianna |
"Girls’ State in what?” This is a question to which I usually give a reply such as, “I spent a week learning about the government” or “It’s a government thing.” In reality, Girls’ State does take a bit of explaining for one to understand what it really is. Girls’ State is a week-long educational experience sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary for rising high school seniors. Each state has their own, and the American Legion sponsors an equivalent for males. The purpose of Girls’ State is to learn about the state’s government, improve leadership skills, and encourage patriotism. Two MVL students, Brianna Sanders and myself, were privileged to participate in this event this past summer. We were able to attend because we were sponsored by the Lake Crystal American Legion Auxiliary. Each Auxiliary has different methods of applying; Brianna and I were asked to write a few short paragraphs on “Why I am Proud to be an American.” After we were accepted, we met with Kristeen Asleson (the mother of Major Asleson, MVL’s Veteran’s Day Speaker), the president of Lake Crystal’s Auxiliary Unit, for further details on Girls’ State. Brianna and I were also asked to attend Lake Crystal’s Memorial Day event during which we each read pieces on the significance of the Poppy. On June 12, Brianna and I, along with almost 400 rising senior girls from the state of Minnesota, made our way to Bethel University in St. Paul where Girls’ State was held. After leaving our bus, Brianna and I saw little of each other for the next week. Everyone in attendance was divided up into four counties and sixteen cities (all fictional). Each city had their own wing of dorm rooms in two of Bethel’s dorm buildings. Almost all of my time was spent with the 22 other girls from my city. Bethel University’s campus is neatly tucked away in St. Paul, MN. If I had to spend a week of my life on a college campus, it would be there. The campus is heavily wooded, and it has beautiful buildings. Also, the cafeteria was a solid 20/10. I was a little nervous about eating 3 cafeteria meals for a whole week, but I was pleasantly surprised with their food service. There was great variety, and all the food was prepared on site. Before Girls’ State, I had little knowledge of what was to happen during my week there. Thankfully, almost everyone else there felt the same way. Girls’ State’s method of teaching us about government was to have us experience it ourselves. We started off with city meetings which ended with city elections. This pattern continued up to county and state positions, the most prominent position being governor. Along with these elections, we learned about the purposes of political parties and platforms through our own party conventions. We also learned about the judicial system by having our own mock trials at the Minnesota Supreme Court building in St. Paul. At General Assemblies (held in Bethel’s Auditorium), our whole group was able to hear from people who had real jobs in our government, including a mayor, county attorney, FBI agent, judge, and even the Minnesota’s Speaker of the House, Kurt Daudt. Another emphasis of Girls’ State was patriotism. We were instructed in flag raising, flag folding, and flag bearing. We also watched a Flag Disposal Ceremony. Throughout the week, we sang patriotic songs, one of which was Armed Forces Salute. We also visited the Veterans Benefits Administration building in St. Paul, where we helped make poppies and cards for veterans.
Brianna and I returned from Girls’ State on Saturday afternoon and made a less-than-24-hour turnaround for History Tour the next morning. A few weeks later, I was able to reflect on my time at Girls’ State: Understatement: I learned so much. Part of my initial interest in Girls’ State was because I had taken Mr. Buboltz’s Government class. I enjoyed all that I learned in his class, but Girls’ State is government education on a whole new level: full-on immersion. If you spend a whole week with people, you will become close. I started out surrounded by strangers, and ended up surrounded by friends. Everyone was really nice because we were all in the same boat: we knew absolutely no one. By the end of the week, we all were part of one big happy family. Everybody has a different story to tell. I learned about so much more than government. One of the girls from my city competes in cross-country skiing. Another one recently signed to the U of M for cross country. I later learned that another girl from my city was in D.C. one of the same days as History Tour for an FFA activity. My roommate’s family hosts exchange students. Meeting new people is nice but… I missed my friends. Part of making friends is sharing your life and background, but this peppered every single conversation-- I longed for having a conversation with people who already knew me. My saving grace from this was History Tour. There could not have been better timing. MVL is a very special place. I already knew this, but it really hit me at Girls’ State. Through my conversations with others, I noticed how different MVL is from public schools. Everyone at Girls’ State was friendly, but it was nothing like MVL where we all share a common faith. The Auxiliary itself is non-partisan, but controversial topics were part of our conversations among each other. It was definitely new for me to explain the things I say in terms of, “I think this because I’m a Christian.” I would encourage anyone the least bit interested in Girls’ (or Boys’) State to try and attend. Not only do you learn great things, but you meet great people, and your view on life is broadened in the best way. The main encouragement I took from Girls’ State was to pay attention to local and national government and current events. Not everyone is a government leader, but being an informed citizen is just as important. If one pays attention, government is actually quite interesting.
