Athens students attend American Legion Boys & Girls State

Published 2:37 pm Monday, June 19, 2023

Ten Athens students served as delegates to the annual sessions of the American Legion Boys & Girls State.

Athens’ Will Mellgren was awarded the Alabama Boys State full-tuition scholarship to the University of Alabama.

Caroline Russell and Meredith Whitaker represented Athens High School in the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State at Troy University.

Girls State provides a week full of opportunities related to citizenship, leadership, and fun. This immersive learning experience enables students to learn more about the various levels of our local and state government. Delegates also have the opportunity to hear from various distinguished speakers and participate in a model state government.

Boys State also provides students with an opportunity to learn about the various levels of government through hands-on participation in a model state government. The ACS delegates at the American Legion Boys State at Troy held the following positions:

● Johnson Speegle — US Senator

● Nelson Brown — State Senator

● Caiden Dumas, Gage Coker, and James Leonard — State House of Representatives

● Caiden Dumas — Legislative Director for the Lieutenant Governor

● Will Mellgren — City Council Member

● Jonah Blackwood — Supreme Court Associate Justice

● Tristan McDonald — News Media

The American Legion’s goal is to educate students throughout Alabama to become leaders and also to become more aware of how city, county and state government function in Alabama. A few state delegates will be selected to attend Boys and Girls Nation, another program sponsored by The American Legion. Additionally, the program provides an opportunity for the participants to compete for both full and partial college scholarships offered by Alabama institutions.

A total of 25 boys from Limestone County attended the session from May 28 to June 3. Seven girls from the county attended their session from June 4 to June 9. This year is the 86th anniversary of the Boy State in Alabama and the 81st anniversary of Girls State.