Last June, the Pine Bush American Legion Post 1308 and its ladies auxiliary sponsored 11 students to attend the AL Boys State at SUNY Morrisville and the ALA Girls State at SUNY Brock Port. Fast forward to Sunday, September 27, and the post hosted a ceremony at its meeting hall, honoring the students for completing the program.

Established in 1935 and 1937 respectively, the AL Boys State and ALA Girls State are citizenship training programs that teach high school students about municipal, county, and state government operations. Every summer, participants travel to local colleges and spend a week learning about government and leadership through first-hand exercises, from running mock cities to undergoing physical training. Through these programs, the American Legion seeks to cultivate young leaders across the country, preparing students for careers in government, emergency services, and the military.

“It is an honor to be here today and do this. We heard a lot of feedback about the girls and the boys going upstate and doing their little government tasks and stuff,” said Post Commander Peter Boile. “I attended a ceremony in Monroe, and we heard some great stories from the young ladies about what they learned, how they came out of their shell, where they were able to communicate better, and all the friends they made.”

The students honored at the ceremony included Amelia Bavolar, Conor Kilgor, Sofia McSweeney, Cole Miedema, George Nye, Jacob Pignataro, Nevan Stelmaszyk, Christopher Turcotte-O’Dell, Matthew Webster, Sophia Weber, and Harrison Winter. Three of the 11 students were present to receive certificates and share their stories.

“Boys State was an awesome experience, but it didn’t come without its challenges. When we pulled up, there were 500 boys, and I only knew eight of them. Then they split us up, so when I got into my dorm, I didn’t know a single person. But you slowly start making friends and get to know everyone, their challenges, and their strengths. You get together and build a government, and it’s super cool,” said Winter. “There was also a lot of exercise, and it was hot out. By the end of the night, everyone was tired and rough housing. You gotta make your bed, and if you don’t, people yell at you and make you do push-ups, run around, and chant. I did that a couple of times, and that wasn’t very fun. But I still had a lot of fun, so thank you to everyone who sponsored me.”

“Like Harry said, we all got split up on the first day. I knew no one in my dorm, but I got along really well with everyone in there, and I still talk to them,” said Kilgore. “It was a lot of fun and a very weird experience. I would never have expected to go through it, but I enjoyed it a lot. I hope the program keeps going for years after.”

The post also presented certificates to several people and organizations who helped the students before and during the program. The recipients included the Knights of Columbus #5329, Catholic War Veterans Post 1937, and VFW Post 5492 for providing funding toward the sponsorships; the Wallkill American Legion Post 1181 for sponsoring two students for Boys State; Boys State Professor Edward Stelmaszyk and Girls State Professor Charlene Webster, who also received a school award medal, and Amy Gardner, secretary of the post’s auxiliary.