The Girls Stater: Volume 79, Issue 2

The GirlsStater

The Woman Behind Smith City

At today’s Memorial Day ceremony, not only did I get to learn about the incredible story of the poppy, but I was also lucky enough to hear from and meet Tracy Smith, the woman behind Smith City. As a current member of Smith City, hearing from my city’s founder was an all-around amazing experience.

What is your why? Tracy Smith obtained the opportunity to share her why in a deeply emotional and riveting speech. Utter silence surrounded the room while Tracy Smith delivered her speech. She shared about the experiences that military life can have on individuals themselves and their families.

In particular, she explained how she wished she would have gotten to know her uncle better before his passing. Her heartfelt speech evoked a somber, melancholy emotion from all of the girls state delegates.

During the poppy ceremony, many of the girls fell to tears, all while Tracy Smith, and Patsy Chinn stood there proudly holding the poppy wreath. After all of the poppies were placed, the two women turned around and saluted the wreath to honor all of the veterans and heroes of the United States. The fact that many women similar to Tracey Smith come back to share their story and represent Girls State proves that it is truly an organization unlike any other.

Patel, Smith City

-Aatma

The Tragedy of the Cafeteria Waffle Maker

I walked into the cafeteria Monday morning with my fellow Girls State delegates eager for breakfast. While waiting in line, I overheard a conversation going on in front of me discussing waffles (my favorite breakfast food) being on the menu for breakfast. So as any waffle lover would do, I skipped the short line for the “normal” breakfast food and wandered to the long line of delegates waiting patiently for waffles. From the back of the line, I could see that these waffles weren’t just any waffles but were hotel waffles. Hotel waffles were different because they were made by filling up your cup with batter from a spigot, pouring your waffle batter onto the specially shaped waffle pan, closing your waffle pan and sandwiching your batter in between two hot waffle pans, and finally twisting the sandwich pan to start your agonizingly long waffle timer. This procedure made waffle making more personal, thus making your waffle taste that much better. I waited patiently, but as I neared the front of the line, my patience began to run out. There were only two hotel waffle makers each with a timer of about 2 minutes per waffle, so I understood why the line was so tedious, but what I couldn’t understand was why the delegates were standing around aimlessly while the waffle pan was wide open with no waffle inside. I drew closer to the front of the line just to discover that not only was there only one working spigot for the waffle batter but it also moved at not even 1 mile an hour. I watched those in front of me painstakingly fill up their cups with batter while being forced to watch the batter slowly drip into their cup, killing the minutes off of their breakfast time. I tried to get the non-working spigot to, you know, work, by tipping it forward but was unsuccessful. I tried the same thing when it was my turn to use the slower spigot but it was no use; I would have to bear the agony of watching the batter slowly drip into my cup as the dozens of delegates behind me were forced to wait in line as anxious and clueless as I was just moments before. All of this for only one hotel waffle… but it was totally worth it.

-Hattie Eaton, O’Leary City

LEADERS OF TOMORROW

Sunday afternoon we had the opportunity to hear Rev. Dr. Shannon Fleck speak about the impact she has already made as a woman in a male dominated space. One of the points she made was that you have to know yourself before you can pour into others. You can ’ t put others before yourself before you find your confidence. When that is done you will be able to help others succeed successfully. She also stated that “ you have to know your why” . Why are you here?

Why do you want to be a leader? Why is it your dream?

All the why’ s that correspond with knowing what your passion is and why it is important to you. She wanted us to try and be more curious instead of judgmental. She followed up by saying that she even has a hard time with this. It is like in our blood as human beings to be a little judgmental, which is not right, but figuring out how to change that judgmental side to curiosity will help you understand those people and topics more.

-Berklee Gossen, Demke City

What Makes This Place Special

It is an inspiring thing to be surrounded by other women who share the same aspirations as you do. Before attending OK Girls State it was rare to find peers that wanted to go the extra mile and contribute to society in positive ways. Girls State is special because you are standing amongst hundreds of future leaders that understand your goals and your why. Personally, I am excited to continue this experience with these young ladies. I cannot wait to learn more about how to make an effective impact on this world.

-Chloe Cheatwood, Harvey City

Women Empowerment

From the first day, all the delegates have been so nice and uplifting I have not come across a girl, counselor, or director who isn’t smiling or complimenting us. Women today, especially young women need all the positivity we can get. And our speaker on the 1st day did just that. As I sat in the audience I was in awe. She congratulated us for being chosen for Girls State and told us how special we are, which made us feel good! She gave us really good advice that will stick with many of us forever Being here has taught me that whenever I need back up, these girls will have my back no matter what We all possess leadership qualities and enjoy each other's company. All the girls want to see their peers succeed as well as themselves. It is a great environment to be in, seeing so many girls lift each other up. I can’t wait for the rest of the week. It will be one for the books!

-Serenity

Golightly, Keister City

CITY ELECTION RESULTS CITY ELECTION RESULTS CITY ELECTION RESULTS

Akin City

Mayor: Bella Brown

Council Member 1: Gabby Thompson

Council Member 2: Ny’Aisha Ellis

Council Member 3: Kasia Hass

Council Member 4: Megan Gilbert

City Manager: Maha Khan

City Judge: Makenna Hall

City Attorney: Anna Hamilton

City Clerk: Myah Edwards

City Treasurer: Mia Ovalle

Police Chief: Emily Coffelt

Fire Chief: Arlety Rodriguez

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Karlee

Tolle

Street Commissioner: Aviary Helms

Emergency Management Director: Kynlee

Patterson

City Reporter: Alaina Clifton

Blosch City

Mayor: Isabel Swafford

Council Member 1: McKenna Hopkins

Council Member 2: Alyssa Davis

Council Member 3: Jenna Burgess

Council Member 4: Nicole Lopez

City Manager: Sydney Woodard

City Judge: Presley Strickland

City Attorney: Faith Spangler

City Clerk: Kami Jones

City Treasurer: Taylor Brandt

Police Chief: Katy Pittman

Fire Chief: Aubree Willkins

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Lily Boevers

Street Commissioner: Taby Cooper

Emergency Management Director: Adyson

Sandusky

City Reporter: Sidney Brooks

Bonham City

Mayor: Kathryn Thornton

Council Member 1: Katie Hollingsworth

Council Member 2: Peytyn Broadbent

Council Member 3: Olivia Ashworth

Council Member 4: Caroline Brown

City Manager: Chloe White

City Judge: Paige Petty

City Attorney: Adysen Thompson

City Clerk: Sullivan Moydell

City Treasurer: Kinsley Bringardner

Police Chief: Harlie May

Fire Chief: Mar Chick

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Bellamy

Knight

Street Commissioner: Chloe Dent

Emergency Management Director: Hannah

Deviney

City Reporter: Hannah Fitzgerld

Chinn City

Mayor: Sydney Duncan

Council Member 1: Mahek Jeevani

Council Member 2: Yuridia Amaya

Council Member 3: Emma Davis

Council Member 4: Haylee Durrence

City Manager: Maci Stephens

City Judge: Joelle Peterson

City Attorney: Shelby Howard

City Clerk: Samantha Vowell

City Treasurer: Neha Kodali

Police Chief: Audrey Miller

Fire Chief: Riley Smith

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Gracelyn

Tramba

Street Commissioner: Lucki Greenwood

Emergency Management Director: Madelyn

City Reporter: Madi Beltz

Chisolm City

Mayor: Elisabeth Haggard

Council Member 1: Hope Jordan

Council Member 2: Caitlin Laverty

Council Member 3: Haylee Fletcher

Council Member 4: Gloria Baker

City Manager: Ella Webster-Baker

City Judge: Gabrielle Whitefield

City Attorney: Meghan Turner

City Clerk: Gracie Pruitt

City Treasurer: Ella Calvert

Police Chief: Morgan Clark

Fire Chief: Madison Robinson

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Adelaide

Haack

Street Commissioner: Rayne Edwards

Emergency Management Director: Claire

Beck

City Reporter: Jadyn McDonald

Demke City

Mayor: Gillian Pickering

Council Member 1: Cassidy Crab

Council Member 2: Timiara Shepherd

Council Member 3: Madison Caldwell

Council Member 4: Remington Boutwell

City Manager: Ava Foster

City Judge: Adynn Ronald

City Attorney: Faith Foote

City Clerk: Shyann Wheeler

City Treasurer: Annsley Babek

Police Chief: Mollie Noyes

Fire Chief: Rylee Sanders

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Melanie

Ortiz

Street Commissioner: Lydia Rice

Emergency Management Director: Abby

Swart

City Reporter: Berklee Gossen

Harvey City

Mayor: Kellon Collington

Council Member 1: Shelby Tannehill

Council Member 2: Carley Kihega

Council Member 3: Katie Griffin

Council Member 4: Ava Pickens

City Manager: Lily Bond

City Judge: Claire Cornmesser

City Attorney: Katie Griffin

City Clerk: Mackenzie Wegner

City Treasurer: Haliegh Legg

Police Chief: Anna O’dell

Fire Chief: Gabbie Anthony

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Ashlyn

Whitely

Street Commissioner: Sydney Currie

Emergency Management Director: Carley

Kihega

City Reporter: Chloe Cheatwood

Kiester City

Mayor: Tamely Majica

Council Member 1: Lily Ostler

Council Member 2: Lilly Thomson

Council Member 3: Elliot Geer

Council Member 4: Chloe Henderson

City Manager: Victoria Nwankwo

City Judge: Ava Burnett

City Attorney: Kylie Hood

City Clerk: Kaylee Hall

City Treasurer: Lily Etters

Police Chief: Keagan Balch

Fire Chief: Francis Roberston

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Alicia

Hoffman

Street Commissioner: Baylor White

Emergency Management Director: Morgan

Robinette

City Reporter: Serenity Golightly

O’Leary City

Mayor: Sophia Serebro

Council Member 1: Avery Haywood

Council Member 2: Taylor Snyder

Council Member 3: Brooklyn Lierle

Council Member 4: Chloee Barns

City Manager: Katie Sparks

City Judge: Emelie Trentham

City Attorney: Natalie Hooker

City Clerk: Cooper Stoda

City Treasurer: Lisa Jones

Police Chief: Lucy Brown

Fire Chief: Macyn Simmons

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Mia

Shepard

Street Commissioner: Aubrey Koehn

Emergency Management Director: Mishell

Ajquejay

City Reporter: Hattie Eaton

Parker City

Mayor: Abigail Qualls

Council Member 1: Bethany Jefferies

Council Member 2: Katelyn Handke

Council Member 3: Mylisha Allen

Council Member 4: Mazie Finch

City Manager: Lacey Laymon

City Judge: Landry Whorton

City Attorney: Katie Moore

City Clerk: Kyle Spradling

City Treasurer: Carlee Reeves

Police Chief: Cami Talley

Fire Chief: Gabby BigSoldier

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Kaelin

Miller

Street Commissioner: Breanna Miner

Emergency Management Director: Sophia

Hiseley

City Reporter: Emerson Snovel

Smith City

Mayor: Estrella Quinones

Council Member 1: Anna Kate Jones

Council Member 2: Jewel Caudill

Council Member 3: Reagan Campbell

Council Member 4: Rain Porter

City Manager: Mallory Miller

City Judge: Jaycee Gideon

City Attorney: Lexy Poyner

City Clerk: Satine Thomas

City Treasurer: Sarah Dingus

Police Chief: Erica McCall

Fire Chief: Taylor Salmond

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Aubree

Mowatt

Street Commissioner: Emelia Johnsen

Emergency Management Director:

Annamaria Rohde

City Reporter: Aatma Patel