The American Legion JE Lanier Post 27 recognized Richmond Hill High School senior Matthew W. Adkins for his performance at this years Department of Georgia Boy’s State Program June 11-17.
Post 27 selected Adkins as its candidate to attend The Georgia Boys State program due to his performance at the Post Selection Committee interview.
“Matthew was a rising Senior at RHHS who impressed the board with confidence in his leadership skills and knowledge of government,” said John Ellis Sr., post commander.
Georgia Boys State is a comprehensive one-week course in state and local government and is a program of the American Legion Department of Georgia. This year it was held at the Valdosta State University Campus in Valdosta.
As sited in its web site, (www.dogboysstate. org) Georgia Boy’s State describes itself as a “leadership action program” where qualified male high school rising seniors take part in a practical government course. It is designed to develop a working knowledge of the structure of government and to impress upon the citizen the fact that our government is just what we make it. Along the way delegates have the opportunity to learn the political process by organizing a mythical 51st state. Each level of government is run by those delegates who are elected to serve. Instruction is presented on the law and court system, parliamentary procedure, and Georgia political history.”
Adkins graduated from Boy’s State Saturday and served as an elected Constitutional Officer in the program. He was elected to a position on the Supreme Court.
“Being elected and sworn in by the honorable judge Joe Bishop was an amazing experience,” Adkins said. “It really puts into perspective the obligation that members of the judicial branch have to the public. I was very proud to have been chosen by my fellow ‘citizens’ of Boys State to serve on the Supreme Court.”
Adkins also said, “Being at Boys State has given me a deeper understanding of Georgia government, but more importantly it’s allowed me to see what aspects from my campaign and others were successful and which ones came up short. There’s no better way to experience political campaigning than spending a week trying to convince complete strangers to vote for you. It’s also great practice for meeting strangers over the course of a week and being able to turn them into friends. I would absolutely recommend Boys State for anyone interested in pursuing government or any other path that involves leadership.”
Ellis said the post is proud of Adkins. “We are pleased to see Matthew follow the legacy of Boys State participants the Post has sent to the program over all 25 years of our Post’s history. We are happy to award Matthew this Certificate of Achievement as he has followed the Post 27 tradition of excellence in this program.”
If you are interested in attending Boy’s or Girls State in 2024 contact Ellis at jhellissr27@ yahoo.com.