Cody Hunter plays “On My Mind” on the trumpet during the Boys State talent show in Nutt Auditorium , Friday, June 3, 2016.
The University of Mississippi hosted Boys State last week for the first time in the program’s history.
Boys State is sponsered by the American Legion and is geared towards rising seniors in high schools all over Mississippi.
“Boys State is a leadership and civics program where the participants actually run a fictitious state and mock government for that state,” said Hiram Eastland, section adviser of the American Legion Boys State program. “We call it the ‘learn by doing approach.’ They actually run for political office and run the State of Magnolia.”
According to Bradley Baker, director of the Ole Miss Student Union, the University submitted their proposal to host Boys State last fall.
“We wanted our proposal to highlight not only the services we could provide but our facilities and personnel as well,” Baker said. “After submitting the proposal, we were excited to be notified as the host site for Boys State in 2016, 2017 and 2018.”
Each individual who attended Boys State was sponsored by American Legion departments throughout the state as well as guidance counselors in schools and other individuals.
Easton Van Evers plays guitar during the Boys State talent show in Nutt Auditorium , Friday, June 3, 2016.
“(Boys State) is one of the premier leadership experiences for men in our state, and for me it’s almost a responsibility for our flagship university to do our part and try and attract these types of experiences,” said Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs. “It helps attract prospective students across the state, it aligns with our mission of education, its service and it aligns perfectly with what we do at The University of Mississippi.”
Besides creating their own student government, the young men selected for the program were able to participate in different sports activities, a quiz bowl and a military division day. The boys also heard from important political figures including Gov. Phil Bryant and Sen. Roger Wicker.
“We’ve had a lot of fun, and we’ve learned a lot,” participant Davis McCool said. “I’ve really had a great time not only learning about politics (but also) being able to play a hand in it. It was just a lot of fun being able to experience firsthand what a real government is like.”
While some participants learned about Boys State through schools, for other young men participation seems to run in the family.
“My dad did Boys State when he was a kid and both my uncles actually,” Sam Morgan said. “A lot of my friends did it growing up in Oxford, so that made me really interested in it.”
Kelton Kemp pays tribute to Micheal Jackson tribute during the Boys State talent show in Nutt Auditorium , Friday, June 3, 2016.
Boys State has been an annual youth event in Mississippi since 1939 and this year approximately 340 boys attended Boys State at Ole Miss.
“The university’s leadership felt that this was a significant conference in that it provided the university with an opportunity to showcase everything Ole Miss has to offer prospective students,” Baker said. “We hoped that this opportunity (would provide) the students with a glimpse of the excitement that surrounds attending the University of Mississippi.”
