VA Boys State Day 1: Requiem for an overworked counselor
Figure I better fulfil my weekly quota of posts here at TAH, and thought I would let you know what I have in store for me the coming week. Good Times!
For those not familiar with Boys State programs, we bring in rising High Skool seniors and replicate a state government from the ground up. VA is broken into 14 cities, each with roughly 51 kids. Each city is broken roughly in half with the two political parties, the Nationalists and the Federalists. The names are not indicative of any political view, its only to replicate the gov’t. Anyway, so I will have 51 kids, and my Junior Counselor decided last night to just not show up. Which means your bud TSO will be virtually alone.
Another exciting element not present in past years will be the presence of 1000 girls aged 10-19 on campus. My girlfriend was of the opinion this was a good thing, since young boys will behave better when young women are around. She CLEARLY doesn’t know the brains of adolescent males well. To me, this seems like a disaster in the works. So, luckily, I was given a state police officer to also reside on my floor. That way we can play bad cop/badder cop much better. Yeay me!
Anyway, boys should be arriving shortly and I will be assigning them to their rooms, with 1 Federalist and 1 Nationalist per room. Once they all arrive I will brief them on the State Gov’t make up. The kids themselves run the program, and I basically facilitate. Today we’ll be electing the Athletic Director and City Sherriff. Sherriff is the most important job here, since he gets to do the bed checks while his elderly counselor studies for the bar exam. Also electing elections officials, moot court people (to be attorney general must be moot court), a city chaplain to lead the prayers before each city meeting, and I need to identify one guy over 6 feet tall to work the color guard.
Anyway, I will likely do a daily update on my mental health, and my city. Try to keep it clean in the comments if you would, because some parents might drop by to see what their kids are up to.
This is honestly my favorite week of every year. These kids are the best and brightest in Virginia. We have the Governor, LT Gov and AG all coming here this week to teach the kids, and a slew of State Senators and Reps from our House of Delegates. They’ve got some top notch people here, myself excluded natually.
Anyway, for any parents who find their way here, TSO is the head counselor of Washington City.
Category: Politics
Hey, small world!
I attended Boys State as a student, and twice returned as a counselor later on. Boys State is a WONDERFUL program and I can’t speak highly enough of it.
The trick, of course, as you say, is dealing with a boatload of adolescent young gentlemen. Herding cats is an apt analogy. It’s also pure heck when you have all those fellows, who, as a rule, are highly intelligent and involved in all sorts of school and community programs. They can find all sorts of ways to get into trouble. 🙂
But I don’t regret a single moment of Boys State.
Respects,
Waaaay back when, I was attorney general of KY Girls state and my best friend was attorney general of KY Boys state. I am 5’1″ if I stand up tall and my bud is 6’6 when slouching. The Boys started a little before us so the guy who was in charge of Boys State came over to Girls State, took one look at me and fell out laughing. Because this was before e-mail, cell phones and the like, that was the first I had heard about the bud being my Boys State counter part. Anyway, he made me an honorary member of KY Boys State – I think my Mom still has the pen somewhere.
It was a good time, but the fact that the college football coach having just been promoted from my high school and liking me didn’t hurt – he sent the team over to “help” with the social and fitness type activities. This has a tendency to make you very popular with the other girls. FYI – adolecent girls are not much better than boys. Particularly when cute quarterbacks have flasks!!!
One beef though – the acting folks came over to Boys State, we had a “conference call” – not nearly as much fun.
Hey, if I’d known you’d be flying solo, I’d have shown up and become your JC! It’s been a while, but I’m sure I could have helped. Even if only to bring the best practices and bad habits of another Boy State program from the West.
Small world indeed! My son is right down the road at Boy’s State and is actually in Washington city! Although maybe there’s 2 Washingtons this year, as he describes his head counselor as a pasty white man who seems scared of any human interaction and refers to the kids as, how did he put it…”Untested warriors in the lands of azeroth” whatever that means….
Well, there must be two Washington Cities then.
Everyone knows that TSO is a dead ringer for Herr Hasselhoff (Bay Watch Phase, not Drunk Phase).
I was just thinking how awesome it would be if the members of Congress were assigned dormitory housing-1 Republican and 1 Democrat per room. Oh, the hilarity that would ensue. It’d be like an ongoing sitcom.
Are you sure the State Trooper was not assigned because of concerns re: TSO and the potential contributions to the delinquency of minors? Perhaps your reputation preceeds you?
Lynchburgian ~ That is definitely TSO. Tust me!
I’m basing my assessment of the adolescent male on my older brother who when left with just his buddies was a complete ‘tard, but when there were girls around he was only moderately retarded.