Boys and Girls State trains in democratic process

DRAPER — "I feel more qualified to vote next year now that I have attended Girls State," said Kelly John. "I have always been interested in politics, and I found Girls State to be the perfect opportunity to learn more about our government."

John, who will be a senior at Juan Diego Catholic High School and the student body vice president when school begins, was selected as a delegate and sponsored by the Catholic Woman’s League (CWL) to attend Girls State. Girls State was held June 4-9, at Southern Utah University in Cedar City.

Taylor Kasperik, who will also be a senior at Juan Diego next year, was selected and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus to attend Boys State. Boys State was held June 11-15 at Weber State University in Ogden.

Due to conflicting schedules for final exams, Judge Memorial Catholic High School and St. Joseph Catholic High School were unable to send representatives to Boys and Girls State this year.

Boys and Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary for high school students between their junior and senior years. Boys and Girls State programs are held throughout the nation, usually on a college campus.

In the early 1930s during the Great Depression, the American Legion grew concerned over public statements to the effect that democracy was failing. Deciding the best way to learn something was by practicing it, American Legionnaires began in 1935 to gather together teenage representatives from high schools for a few days each summer in a citizenship training program on the processes of city and state government.

The American Legion offers boys and girls the opportunity to study local, county, and state government processes, and set up miniature city, county, and state governments. The delegates administer these governments according to the rules and procedures of Utah State laws, and they participate in mock political campaigns, rallies, voting, and elections. There are about 300 boys and 300 girls who participate at Boys and Girls State from throughout Utah.

"My expectations of Girls State were to gain a deeper understanding of the governmental process and how elections are held," said John. "Every day we had a speaker from the senate, the county commission, or the governor, come and talk to us about their roles, what their jobs entailed, and citizens they have helped through various projects.

"Utah’s Governor Jon Huntsman, spoke to us about his job, and made some good points. Huntsman said during a funeral, a person is not acknowledged for how much money he or she made or how many awards he or she achieved, the number one thing they talk about in someone’s past is his or her idea of service," said John. "I really took that to heart because that is what I believe in and try to practice.

"My father, Dan John, a teacher and coach at Juan Diego, has always taught me the value and importance of integrity," said John. "He taught me to always be the same person whether I was around my family, friends, or the president of the United States."

John has demonstrated her leadership abilities in many ways by participating in Juan Diego’s peer ministry group, as a camp counselor for Catholic Summer Camp, and as a counselor at the fall and spring youth rallies. She organized a fund raiser for one of Juan Diego’s janitors who had cancer.

At Girls State, John served as a city, county, and state delegate, and also as the city scribe in which she recorded what occurred during the meetings. She also did all of the calligraphy for the artwork they did and on the certificates they received at the Girls State graduation.

"The experience at Girls State opened my eyes to how different the governmental process is from what I thought it was," said John. "It was a really good experience."

Kasperik said he applied to participate in Boys State because he is involved in leadership through the student ambassador program at Juan Diego, and he is a member of the National Honor Society. For the past three years, he has played basketball and has been on the track team. He is now playing football for Juan Diego.

"I was expecting to learn a lot about how the United States government is run, and more about politics," said Kasperik. "We actually set up a mock government of the cities, counties, and state, and then held elections for city, county, and state officials. That taught us a lot about the government and the electoral process."

Kasperik served as a county delegate, a city fire chief, and as a city councilman. He said holding these positions taught him a lot about what is involved and expected of the people.

"As the county delegate, I nominated who would run for the various positions, and learned that it was actually my vote that counted to say who was running for election," said Kasperik. "I was the voice for my fellow citizens.

"It was a really good and fun experience, and I would like to thank the Knights of Columbus for this opportunity," said Kasperik. "I made new friends and visited old ones I have played and competed against in basketball and track."