There could be a future state governor lurking in the junior class of Piedmont High School.Four of the class’ students are getting the unique opportunity to participate in the American Legion’s Boys State and Girls State summer programs in June. Kirk Pope, Matt Reynolds and Jacob Conaway will attend Boys State at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, while Christy Minton will be at Troy State University for Girls State.
The Boys and Girls State programs bring students from across Alabama together to form a mythical state, complete with governing bodies, laws and elections. Each student is assigned to a political party at the beginning of the weeklong program, and, with the help of other students, organize and execute campaigns. Students also pass bills in their State’s legislature and participate in a number of extra-curricular activities, like sports, choir and band, with other State attendees.
The mission of the programs is to educate students on the importance of their civic duties, as well as how the nation’s political system works.
Students are chosen to represent their schools based on academic achievement and involvement in their school and community. Piedmont High School took the junior class’ top academically ranked students, and then had each student submit a resume for faculty and members of the local American Legion and Lions Club to review, said PHS Guidance Counselor Sandra Akin.
Piedmont’s American Legion chapter chose to sponsor Conaway and Reynolds, while the Lions Club chose Pope. Minton is sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of the American Legion.
Pope said he applied for the position at the urging of his parents, Garry and Harriet Pope. While Pope and Reynolds were not interested at first in participating in the program, they agreed that the program would provide them with a unique experience and a helpful addition to their resumes for college.
Reynolds plans to attend the University of Alabama in the future, and hopes being a part of the program will add an extra touch to his application resume when he submits it during his senior year. “I hope it helps,” he said.
Only a select few students get the opportunity to participate in the program, Akin said, which makes it even more special for the four. Every school in the state has the chance to send a chosen number of boys and girls to the program, based on the number of students of each gender that are in the school’s junior class. “This really is a great honor for these students to be chosen to participate in the program,” said Akin.
Minton, the only female from Piedmont attending the Girls State program, said it is an honor for her to be chosen to represent her high school.
Conaway, who is academically ranked number one out of his class’ 68 students, said even though there will be three male representatives from Piedmont, he expects the program’s leaders to split the trio up once they get there. “It’ll be nice until we get there,” he said with a smile. “Then they split us up after we get there.”
Boys State is held the first week of June, and Girls State is held the second week of the month.
