Since the beginning of Boys’ State, it has been a place for boys to become men. In 1935, an instructor at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Americanism Chairman of the Illinois Department of The American Legion, and Harold Card, the Department Boy Scout Chairman and junior high school instructor, wanted to create a program for young …
By ALANMICHAEL RUBIN (#0265) When voting in the real world, we choose to elect a candidate based on the following: ample experience, speaking ability, relatability, character, intelligence, and their ability to stand out. So why shouldn’t these same standards be applied to the election candidates at Boys State? While attending this week’s party conventions, an … Continue reading
By ERIC SONG (#0522) The Federalist Party held its first state party convention Monday. The convention resulted in the election of David Duan (#0558) as state party chairman, David Hahn (#0632) as state party clerk, and Grant Gilman (#0316). The party quickly secured Duan as state party chairman, electing the nominee in one voting round … Continue reading
By LUCAS HALEY (#0449) On Tuesday, the Nationalist Party, composed of the boys wearing gold badges and odd numbers, convened at their state party convention where they voted citizen Jack Fischer (#0401) as the State Party Chairman, Collin Ownsa Jr. as Clerk, and Junseo Deschenes as Secretary. At their first convention, the nationalists met from … Continue reading
By DAN HALEY (#0560) and CHAD HALEY (#0375) At SUNY Morrisville, after physical training and county elections, the delegates once again gathered in the Rec Hall to listen to two guest speakers. Joseph Griffo, a New York State senator, spoke to the value of civic engagement; and Todd Carville, a candidate for District Attorney in … Continue reading
By DAN READ (#0560) and CHAD HALEY (#0375) The freshest batch of American Legion New York Boys State delegates were enlightened on the impact of public speaking skills and strategies in assembly at SUNY Morrisville’s Rec Hall on Monday. Fred Ashforth, an esteemed scholar and highly-praised public speaker, imparted wisdom concerning the “success triangle” and … Continue reading
By ALANMICHAEL RUBIN (#0265) While some argue it’s a positive for their experience, Boys’ State has such a focus on participation, meeting new people, and leaving your comfort zone, that cell phones just take away from this as a whole. An important aspect of Boys’ State has always been the participation in the city, county, … Continue reading
Riley Loughan is one of the Junior Counselors here at this year’s New York Boy’s State. This is his third trip to NY Boy’s State (once virtually). He is currently an Army ROTC Cadet attending Clarkson University and he recently completed the Army’s Air Assault school at Fort Drum. He wote this story for me … Continue reading
Here at Boys’ State everyone from the counselors and marines to the students, admire leadership and interdependence. For example, the boys can show leadership by putting themselves out there for positions, such as city mayor or governor. Participants can also organize their own softball, basketball, and soccer teams, ensuring they have the best team possible … Continue reading
Day 3 of NYS Boys’ State started strong with Marines instructing physical training at 0600. Citizens later in the morning had an assembly where they were offered some words of advice from multiple speakers. First, the District Attorney of Oneida County Scott McNamara talked about his experience as a District Attorney and several projects that … Continue reading
To select candidates and elect officials for city, county, and state positions, caucuses are held by the participants of Boys State. When one of the boys run for a position, they are allowed a three-minute speech before the voting commences. Almost all of the participants enjoy this process because it gives them a chance to … Continue reading
American Legion Boys' State New York 