Limestone County youth delegates prepare for 2026 Boys State & Girls State - Athens The News Courier

Limestone County youth delegates prepare for 2026 Boys State & Girls State Published 1:00 pm Saturday, May 9, 2026 Monday evening, May 4, the American Legion Post 49 of Athens hosted a pizza party and an orientation for high school students selected to attend the 2026 Boys and Girls State. The program was held at the Alabama Veterans Museum in Athens. Delegates’ parents were also welcomed. These young people will begin their senior year this fall. Alabama Boys State is a program of the American Legion Department of Alabama. This year’s program director is Col. (Retired) Mark Valentine, U.S. Air Force, replacing long-time director of the Alabama Boys State, Judge O. L. “Pete” Johnson. Bob Borden, Post 49 Boys State Committee Chairman, and Post 49 Commander Camden Kent, said this year’s class is, in their opinion, a quality group of delegates. They expressed confidence that the boys will do very well in all of the Boys State activities beginning the week of May 24 at the University of Alabama. The program’s closing ceremony will take place on May 30. Twenty-four Limestone county boys are scheduled to attend this year. Commander Kent noted that this is the 89th year of Alabama Boys State. “These boys, like those before them, will learn about state and local government, and this will help prepare them to become leaders,” he said, “not only in their school, but in our community for years to come.” Commander Kent told the boys that they should arrive at the university ready for a fast-paced week. He also advised, “Be prepared to be challenged, stay focused, motivated, organized, and committed to working within your group for its success.” The boys, he said, will organize into political parties — either the Federalist or Nationalist party — and conduct elections at various levels of government, develop agendas and plans, and then carry their respective programs into action. Limestone County’s own Yancy Mitchell, originally of Ardmore, led the briefing session for delegates and parents as the Boys State Dean of Counselors. Mitchell has presented the Post 49 orientation program for Limestone delegates for three decades. He was assisted in his orientation presentation by Conner Johnstone, an Athens High School senior. Johnstone attended Boys State in 2025, and told the delegates what to expect at Tuscaloosa. “The most important thing you can do is to get out of your comfort zone and be completely involved,” advised Johnstone. This year’s keynote speaker was Gage Coker, a 2023 alum of Boy’s State and 2024 graduate of Athens High School. Coker is presently enrolled in the civil engineering program at Auburn University. He explained how important Boys State had been in helping him to decide, the very same week he left Boys State, that he wanted to work in a government capacity as a civil engineer. He also told the delegates that they, too, would be satisfied upon leaving Boys State that they had been challenged to excel. The Girls State Program will immediately follow Boys State, beginning May 31. The Girls State program also will be located at the University of Alabama. This is a one-week program of the Auxiliary of the American Legion’s Department of Alabama, and of the Post 49 Auxiliary. Local optometrist Dr. Leanne Whitaker is President of the Post 49 Auxiliary. She was assisted in organizing and preparing this year’s class of eight Limestone girls with the assistance of vice president Shannon Norwood, and committee members Barbara Crafton and Anne Kent. The curriculum of the Girls State program is very much like that experienced by the boys. Dr. Whittaker, in a separate briefing for the Girls State delegates, called on four of her Girls State 2025 alumni to help brief this year’s class on what to expect in Tuscaloosa. The briefers sincerely and enthusiastically informed the delegates that Girls State would be one of the best experiences they have ever had. One comment was that it would be helpful to “read up on current events, both nationally and in Alabama, before you get to Tuscaloosa, because these issues and conditions will surface as you develop agendas, plans, and policy within your political parties.” The alumni briefers were Addison Norwood, Marissa Gonzales, Josie Starres, and Sarah Nix.