Donoho Students Attend Boys and Girls State

Two Donoho students, Samuel Garner and Madison Huckaby, attended the 2014 American Legion Alabama Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Alabama Girls State conventions at The University of Alabama. Boys State was held June 1 – 7 and Girls State was held June 8 – 13.

Alabama Boys State and Girls State are leadership and government training programs. They are among the highest honors granted to high-school senior boys and girls. Students from around the state are chosen based on their demonstration of leadership, hard work, strong morals, and motivation in school and community activities. During the week, students conducted mock elections and learned about civic processes. This opportunity enabled more than 1,000 students to try their hands at politics and community service.

Samuel selected a course that required his group to develop and present a business proposal to a panel of five judges. His “city” came in second place in that competition, and one of the judges commented that he was a great representative of his school and a very mature young man. When asked about his experience Samuel commented, “Boys State provided hands-on experience to learn how our government works. It really helped me learn a lot about myself and helped me develop my leadership skills.” He is the son of Tim Garner and Christina Sluder.

While at Girls State, Madison was elected City Clerk and Secretary of the Senate. When asked about her experience Madison said, “It was an interesting week filled with learning about our government, from the local level all the way up to the state level offices.” One of her favorite experiences from the week was visiting the Capitol in Montgomery and hearing Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange speak. She is the daughter of Mack and Lisa Huckaby.

Congratulations to Samuel and Madison for being chosen to represent The Donoho School!