Congratulations to Mick K, Zach F, Nat W, and Rob K, who were all selected as delegates for the 2013 convening of Evergreen Boys State at Central Washington University in June.

Boys State is a summer leadership and citizenship program sponsored by the American Legion for high school students between their junior and senior years. Boys State began in 1937 and is held in each of the U.S. states (excluding Hawaii), usually on a college campus within that state. In most states, only one or two students are sent to Boys State from each high school. Therefore selection is highly competitive, and the population of students attending represents the top talent from across the state.

Program participants are first divided up into subgroups referred to as cities. The citizens of each of these cities elect mock municipal officials and representatives to the mock state legislature. If enough citizens are present, then a county level is added to the program between city and state. The participants also elect state officials, such as governor,lieutenant governor, and other state-level officials that their real state has. The legislature meets to organize, elect leaders, and to pass bills, in a way that is similar to how their actual legislature operates. Some programs tend to have a more traditional education focus, providing speakers and training throughout the week and then concluding with mock political functions. Other programs take a more hands-on approach by running the mock government activities all week.

Famous alumni of Boys State include Neil Armstrong, Tom Brokaw, Bill Clinton, Mike Huckabee, Michael Jordan, George Pataki, Dick Cheney, Michael Dukakis, Roger Ebert, Jon Bon Jovi, Trent Lott., Adam Ogden, Jeff Zantek, Thomas Karren, and Zack Turley.