Each state in the United States (except Hawaii) holds an annual educational learning camp called Boys State. Boys State is among the most respected and selective government service educational programs. This is an annual forum, conceived 1935 by the American Legion to teach civic training. It has been going strong ever since and has been held at Tennessee Tech since 1965.

The Union County High School senior selected to represent Union County at this year’s Boys State at Tennessee Tech University was Christian Stallsworth. Christian loves languages and hopes to one day be a translator. He is working on improving his Spanish, French, German, and Scottish Gaidhlig (Gaelic). Boxing and jujitsu are fun pastimes for him. Colonel Dean Keck, his JROTC instructor, suggested that he apply to the Boys State. All Christian knew about the program initially was that the event had something to do with government. And that made him curious enough to apply.

On Day 1, the students mostly unpacked and oriented themselves to the Tennessee State University. Day 2 started the simulation of the US Government. It is an interactive program where each student participates in local, county and state government. The assembled group of about 400 high school seniors from across TN were to become the 51st state of the US, called Boy’s State. They were divided up into two parties. No, not Democrat and Republican but Jacksonian (for President Andrew Jackson) and Johnsonian (for President Andrew Johnson). Once they had their two parties, they were then broken down into individual counties, cities and districts. Separated by party, they had to deliberate and decide which of them would run for various offices. There were 32 offices to fill! Time was spent making posters, giving campaign speeches, and doing everything a candidate would do to run for office – in one condensed week. The main political office was, of course, the President of the United States. There were 12 people running from both parties. Days for the citizens of this state started at 6 am and ran until 10 pm or longer. Additionally, musicians participated and formed the Boys State Band.

The rest of the week was spent learning how the political and democratic system works as they hashed out candidates, delegates, voted within their own districts and then voted as a state. Each district was named and had a colored flag. Christian’s district was called the Bradshaw district and they would gather under their green flag. Two actual court sessions with TN Supreme Court judges were held in the university theatre to allow the students to experience how the judicial system works. In one case, the plaintiff had backed her car into a person and killed them. She had alcohol and weed in her bloodstream. While she had already been found guilty, the prosecuting and defense attorneys disagreed as to the punishment. Christian experienced a whole process, a series of steps that he was unaware of. He was really impressed. He felt that this was a real learning experience as he listened to the attorneys debate their points.

It was not all learning and no play. Ultimate frisbee, basketball, soccer, table tennis, corn hole, and volleyball were all available. The individual counties in this 51st Boys State competed against each other. The final day was a tug of war, an event that has been celebrated at Boys State annually for years.

The program culminates with the inauguration of a Boys State governor. Special guests were there to congratulate the new 51st state, the Boys State. Governor Bill Lee, US Senator Marsha Blackburn, TN House Speaker Cameron Sexton and all five of the Tennessee Supreme Court justices were there to congratulate the boys. Christian felt that he learned more about how our government functions at all levels in this one week than he would have learned in a classroom. He highly recommends the experience.