The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - Overwhelming, fun and in­credibly worthwhile. Those three sentiments were echoed repeatedly by last year's Evergreen Boy's and Girl's State representatives as they addressed guests in an honorary desert banquet Monday night. EJ Meserve (Waitsburg), Erik Sandoval (Prescott), Emily Wilson (Prescott), Meara Baker (Waitsburg) and Yesenia Escalante (Prescott) were sponsored by Waitsburg's American Legion Post #35 and Auxiliary to the 2013 State events in June.

Boy's and Girl's State events focus on devel­oping civic leadership, arousing interest in local and state government and helping students under­stand the rights and responsibilities of citizens.. Students who have completed their junior year of high school and show qualities of leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty and service may apply to their local Legion or Auxiliary. The local post selects representatives and pays the student's tuition and fees.

Both programs aim to simulate Washington city and state governments with hands-on experi­ence. Students are first assigned to cities, where they build their own city and state governments and elect officials. They are as­signed tools and resources unique to each city and each is faced with a specific challenge such as building a bridge or addressing a budget shortfall.

Meserve and Sandoval trav­eled together to Boys State at Central Washington Univer­sity. Among the speakers were former Wash. State Attorney General Rob McKenna, Yakima City Mayor Micah Cawley, and Kittitas County Prosecutor Tony Schwartz.

Sandoval ran for and was elected to the House of Representatives. He said he learned a lot and brought new knowledge home to his school and community. Sandoval is taking a government class this year and said his experience at Boy's State prepared him well. "It was definitely a unique experience and I would encourage anyone who has the opportunity, to go," he said. He also enjoyed the campus life experience, which he felt gave him a good preview of what college life might be like.

Meserve said he was "kinda terrified" at first, but he and his roommate were assigned to the same city and quickly became friends. Meserve said their city came together really well "both as delegates and friends." "We were required to end with a balanced budget and we actually had 4 mil­lion we didn't know what to do with at the end. That was a nice problem," said Meserve. Meserve ran for and was elected to the State Senate. "It really helped me hone my leadership and public speaking skills. I look forward to using what I learned at Boy's State in Youth and Government this year," he said.

Girl's State also took place at Central Wash­ington University. Speakers included Wash. Secretary of State Kim Wyman and Judges Ruth Reukauf and Frances Chmelewski.

Meara Baker said she was initially concerned about fitting in, but quickly learned "everyone was scared." She counts learning to get along socially and work with people she hadn't met before as a valuable lesson. Baker was impressed with the room for creativity in the program. As a musician, she especially enjoyed the fact that her counselor was a music major and they had a great time working together to write their state song.

Emily Wilson said she not only didn't know what to expect going in, but that she also didn't know much about government. Because she was able to experience government in such a hands-on practical way, she learned a great deal. "It helps me every day now because I'm actually a part of the School Board at Prescott." Wilson explained that Girl's State is not all about politicians. She ran for a Supreme Court Justice and talked with judges, police officers and jail workers. "I had the greatest experience working with the law," she said.

Yesenia Escalante was unable to attend the des­sert, but Wilson spoke on her behalf. Escalante, who was elected mayor of her town, said she learned a great deal about how to represent herself in public. She especially enjoyed the teamwork experienced during the event.

High school juniors interested in attending Boy's or Girl's State should contact their school advisor or email B.A. Keve at ikbakeve@charter.net as soon as possible.