Naperville StidentsExcell at Illinois Boys State

NAPERVILLE STUDENTS EXCEL AT ILLINOIS BOYS STATE

Naperville's American Legion Post 43 sent twenty-four students from Naperville North, Wabaunsee Valley, Nequa Valley, Metea Valley, Benet and St. Francis High Schools to the 81st Annual Session of Illinois Premier Boys State, held at Eastern Illinois University from June 11th - 17th.

Boys State, a week-long program of citizenship training sponsored by the American Legion, was originated by the Department of Illinois in 1934 and adopted by the national organization in 1935. The Illinois program attracts five hundred boys in the summer before their senior year in high school.

Attendees, known as citizens, are formed into eight counties and twenty-three cities. They attend seminars on the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, the electoral process, lobbying, meetings, elections, media productions and leadership. They form a band, militia, and police force, participate in athletic activities; and most importantly, learn hands-on government by forming political parties and running for city, county and state elective offices. For all intent and purposes, Illinois Boys State is a mythical fifty-first state with a constitution and body of law run by the attendees. It is often referred to as "A Week That Shapes a Lifetime."

Students from Naperville excelled, winning six state-level offices: Lt. Governor-Archit Dhar, Secretary Of State-Tejas Gajula, Comptroller-Bernie Wang, Treasurer-Josh Patel, President pro temp. Senate-Shawn Park, and Speaker of the House of Representatives-Doug McKissick, and a number of college scholarship

Doug McKissick won a $2,000 John Geiger Leadership Scholarship; Alexander Shura a $2,000 Lincoln Oration Contest, (Archit Dhar, also of Naperville, was the runner-up), and Alexander Shura won a $1,000 Samsung Scholarship and the right to compete with other state winners for several national scholarships. Chailuv Godwani placed 3rd in the Joe McCraith Model Citizen contest, and Josh Patel was 2nd, Archit Dhar 3rd, in running for the Paul Brown Leadership Award

To learn more, or register for the 2017 program, go to illinoisboysstate.org or contact Terry Jelinek at jelinst@sbcglobal.net.