ROBERT H. BURNS
AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY UNIT 16
COVINGTON, LOUISIANA
GIRLS STATE CITIZENS 2011
(Sunday - Saturday, June 26 - July 2, 2011)
1st row left to right: Chandler Brielle DeJean who attends Covington High School, Shelby Rae Guinot who attends Archbishop Hannan High School, Krystal Lea Ingalls (junior member) who attends Central High School, Jessie Kate Jourdan who attends Covington High School, Meghan Lauren Kerry home schooled, Kaitlyn Alexandra King who attends Fontainebleau High School, Claire Elise Krause who attends Northlake Christian School, Katherine Jean Magee who attends St. Scholastica Academy and Shannon Alyssa McCrory who attends Covington High School.
2nd row left to right: Honorary Unit 16 Junior Auxiliary President Treaser McArthur, Unit 16 Auxiliary President Betty McArthur, Alexis Ariel O'Connell who attends Fontainebleau High School, Mary Margaret Scardulla and Elizabeth Anne Scott who attend St. Scholastica Academy, Sara Anne Stinson who attends Lakeshore High School, Rose Marie Tusa who attends Mandeville High School, Alivia Joan Vicari who attends Covington High School, Lauren Nicole Voelker who attends Archbishop Hannan High School, Callie Michelle Waskom who attends Covington High School and Unit 16 Girls State Chairman Jane Duracher.
Shelby Darlene Pogue (junior member) who attends Covington High School.
LOUISIANA GIRLS STATE CHIEF JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT 2011
Chandler Brielle DeJean
A. R. CHOPPIN OUTSTANDING CITIZEN AWARD 2011
Mary Margaret Scardulla
Citizens singing their Louisiana Girls State Song.
"LOUISIANA GIRLS STATE SONG"
Louisiana Girls State---the best in all the land!
Louisiana Girls State---by you we'll always stand.
From the broad Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore,
The girls of Louisiana will love you more and more.
Louisiana Girls State---let's sing our noble call!
Louisiana Girls State---all for one and one for all.
From the cold Canadian border to the flowing Rio Grande,
It's Louisiana Girls State, the best in all the land!
GIRLS STATE
The American Legion Auxiliary believes there is no better way to assure the survival of our republic than to train our young people in the ideals and objectives of American government. By teaching youth to understand and appreciate the basic principles involved in the successful management of a democratic society, we can keep America strong and ensure freedom for future generations. These are the distinguished and long-standing objectives of American Legion Auxiliary Girls State.
They are accomplished through a unique summertime program, one that emphasizes not classroom lectures or textbook learning, but participation and personal experience in a model state, complete with its governing bodies and elected public officials.
Girls State was founded, and its courses of instruction designed, to supplement the information taught in high school civics classes. Girls State teaches that our form of government is good but that its preservation depends on intelligent, informed and loyal citizens in combination with an honest and impartial administration of government activities.
Young women chosen to be Girls State citizens can look forward to a wonderful and challenging experience. All who attend can acquire a better understanding and deeper regard for our nation's legacy of freedom and democracy.
As a program of The American Legion Auxiliary, Girls State developed from the concept that youth should be offered a better perspective of the practical operation of government; that the individual is an integral part and commensurately responsible for the character and success of her government. As such, it is an activity of high educational value, born out of a need for youth training in practical citizenship.
Girls State is easily classified as a leadership action program where qualified female high school juniors take part in a practical government course designed to develop in the young citizens a working knowledge of the structure of government and to impress upon them the fact that government is just what they make it.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
A program of this scope encompasses many important objectives. Those which we, The American Legion Auxiliary, feel are most important and for which we strive the hardest are:
To develop civic leadership and pride in American citizenship. It is our earnest hope that each young woman attending a Girls State will return to her community a better citizen and that we will have aroused in her a desire to demonstrate this fact by her willingness to make civic contributions that will help to make her community a better place in which to live.
To arouse a keen interest in the detailed study of our government. Here we desire to create more than just a passive interest in the actual study of government; we strive to create an interest that will be born of the desire for knowledge.
To develop in the young citizens of Girls State a full understanding of our American traditions and belief in the United States of America. Here we desire to impress upon the young women the glorious traditions which have made this country what it is today.
To arouse in the young citizens a determination to maintain our form of government. This we attempt to accomplish in many ways but primarily by bringing them into the full realization of how wonderful it is to be an American!
The final two objectives are taken from the Preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion Auxiliary.
"To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation..."
"To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy..."
Girls State is conducted in 49 Departments of The American Legion Auxiliary. Hawaii does not conduct a program. As separate corporations, Girls States vary in content and method of procedure, but each and every Girls State adheres to the basic concept of the program -- that of teaching government from the township to the state level.
A Girls State program, generally, is fashioned after the government structure of the respective state. Political offices and agencies that serve the people of a state would also exist within a Girls State.
Every Girls State operates under a two-party system with instruction provided in the organization and operation of political parties at different levels of government.
On the average, a Girls State program covers a period of seven days. Enrollments vary from as few as 25 to well over 1,400 in a single program.
Nearly all Girls States operate from the campuses of colleges or universities although some programs are conducted on military reservations and other facilities that offer the space for various assemblies, conventions, caucuses, legislative sessions and schools of instruction. Girls State citizens are housed in dormitories, dine in cafeterias and generally have access to the athletic facilities of an institution.
Upon arrival at Girls State, the citizens are assigned to one of two political parties, the "Nationalists" or the "Federalists." Though some state may use other "labels" to identify the two parties, they are in no way reflections of the two major political parties in American government, but are established to allow instruction and participation in the two-party system of government.
An effective political system is created in each Girls State to operate from the precinct level through the State committee. A breakdown of the political organization to its smallest components and graduated to the state level may look like this in many Girls States:
The Precinct
The City
The County
The Judicial Circuit
The Senatorial or Legislative District
The Girls State
The government organization provides for such features as: city, county and state elections, party caucuses and/or conventions, keynote speeches, platform development, organization of component units such as senatorial districts, judicial districts, and legislative committees, local functional government units such as County Boards, agencies or courts.
Here is found the greatest variance in any function that makes up the overall Girls State program. As noted earlier, however, these variances are only in procedure since each Girls State adheres to the basic concept of teaching government from the township to the state level.
The Instructional Program is carried out in three phases: limited classroom instruction, functional activities, and general assemblies. It's important to note that about 50 percent of the program hours of Girls State are devoted to government instruction and practice.
Classroom Instruction is held on subjects such as law, civil service, election procedure and parliamentary procedure. Other special "schools" are held to inform candidates of the duties of the office they seek, and following election and appointment of officers, to instruct in the operation of the respective offices held by the citizens. Some states use general assemblies to instruct on many phases of government with individual instruction given for particular Girls State officials.
All citizens of a Girls State receive instruction in Parliamentary Procedure, and every citizen is expected to participate in a special school such as law, civil service, election officials, peace officers, office holding, civic planning, public safety, etc., when such school is provided. Classroom instruction includes detailed explanation and instruction on the legislative, executive and judicial procedures of the respective state government.
Functional Activities start with a caucus or other method of nominating candidates for city offices and conclude with the election and inauguration of the Governor of a Girls State. Here is the heart of the instructional program. The functional activities (citizenship practice) such as elections, caucuses, conventions, operation of the courts, legislative assemblies, administration of law enforcement, and public welfare are government in operation. These activities take a considerable portion of the time allotted for instructional purposes and constitute the chief means through which citizens "learn by doing."
General Assemblies are for all citizens and are intended as a means to spur enthusiasm and spirit, inspiration and patriotism, political fervor and a real zeal for "the American Way."
In short, every citizen becomes an integral part of Girls State, assuming responsibilities and performing duties either as an elected or appointed official, or otherwise fulfilling an assignment entailing the duties of responsible citizenship.
Planned, supervised recreation is an important part of most Girls States and many programs feature athletic contests that lead to championships among the cities or counties. Additionally, many Girls States form their own musical bands and choirs under the supervision of a recognized director of music.
Other activities that are offered, facilities and talent available are:
Girls State newspaper (journalism classes)
Public Speaking classes
Field trips (to State Capitol, shrines, etc.)
First Aid Instruction ---CPR
Movies
Choral Singing
Memorial Ceremonies
Talent Shows
Religious devotions
Non-athletic competitions and contests
The American Legion Auxiliary has established certain qualifications for prospective Girls State citizens. Following are the recommended guidelines that are employed by most Girls States.
Only females who have successfully completed their junior year of high school and have at least one more semester of high school remaining are to be considered as citizens of Girls State.
Any girl who has previously attended a Girls State is not eligible to attend a second session. Only girls with outstanding qualities of leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty and service to their schools and communities should be considered for Girls State.
American Legion Auxiliary Girls States are in compliance with federal handicap laws. Most Girls States do require a medical/parental consent certificate signed by a parent and a registered doctor.
In the actual selection of girls as citizens of Girls State, merit and ability alone are the basis for selection. No girls are permitted to attend because of either poverty or wealth. Girls State is not a program for underprivileged girls, nor is it a summer camp for recreation. Fees, or "tuition," are paid by American Legion Auxiliary Units or other community-minded organizations, with little or no expense to a young woman and her family.
In order to secure equal representation from all areas of a respective state, American Legion Auxiliary Departments assign quotas to Auxiliary Units in the state. The quota is determined by the number of Girls State citizens that a program can accommodate and the number of schools or units in the state.
For more information contact:
Robert H. Burns, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 16, Attention: Janie Duracher, Girls State Chairman, P. O. Box 2885, Covington, LA 70434-2885.
Or e-mail auxiliaryunit16louisiana@usa.com
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