The GirlsStater
O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A!
“A man without a Girls State is like a ship without its sail.” This was quoted by former Governor George Nigh this afternoon. It was exhilarating to listen to a man that is supportive of potential leaders, who happen to be women. I found his words inspiring, especially when he listed citizens of Oklahoma who impacted the nation with their talents.
Growing up I always held the belief that there were few opportunities in Oklahoma, and I would need to move out of state if I wanted to be successful in my career field. Governor Nigh taught me differently today. He stated, “You can do it from here (Oklahoma).” These words resonated with me. I am from a small town that is only known by some because of its prison. When Governor Nigh began to list celebrities that came from towns that I have never heard of, I knew I had a chance to become a successful leader, regardless of where I come from. All it takes is self-courage, and the ability to read the fine print!
-Chloe Cheatwood, Harvey City
AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY OKLAHOMA GIRLS STATE May 2023 Vol 79 Issue 3
You Can Do It From Here
Girls State had the privilege to have former Governor George Nigh speak to us in our afternoon assembly. When he was in 9th grade, one of his teachers asked them to write on a piece of paper what they wanted to do when they grew up, he wrote “I want to be the Governor.” He ran for office his senior year of college and he was elected as the youngest Representative at 23 years old. Governor Nigh said, “I was the youngest Legislator and Lieutenant Governor. Now I am the oldest Governor still living.” His mother was a part of the American Legion Auxiliary, so once he became Governor his mother’s friend invited him to speak to the future Oklahoma female leaders. He has come to Girls State to speak every year except one, since he became Governor.
He spoke quite a bit about Oklahoma history, sharing that three counties used to be in Texas but someone didn’t read the fine print of the Louisiana Purchase and confused the boundaries between Texas and Oklahoma. Now those three counties are one county in Oklahoma. He also told us to be Governor you have to be 31, and he applied when he was 30 because he didn’t read the fine print. Luckily when he was elected he had turned 31, but that is why you always need to be cautious and really know what you're signing up for.
I think everyone's favorite part of his speech was the story he told about changing the Oklahoma state song. He put a bill in for changing the Oklahoma state song from “Oklahoma A Toast” to “Oklahoma!” When he put it in, a Legislator from Ada cried and sang the song “Oklahoma A Toast” so Governor Nigh asked to vote the next day and everyone agreed. He had a women's choir sing and dress in costume, and sing all the songs from the Broadway show. When they got to the song “Oklahoma!” everyone sang along and cheered. And so when it came to voting for changing the song to “Oklahoma!”, it passed. Governor Nigh said if he hadn’t asked to vote the next day our state song would not have been changed.
Governor Nigh has made it clear how proud he is to be an Oklahoman, and how proud we need to be. He named off people like Mickey Mantle, Johnny Bench, Will Rogers, and 5 Miss Americas who were all from Oklahoma. We can do it from here, we can get anything we want done in our state if we are willing to do what it takes. As long as we are reading the fine print and being careful with what we commit to, we can do it from here. So be proud to be an Oklahoman, be proud of everything that the people before us have stood up for and gotten done for our state. Girls State, we can do it from here!
–Hannah Fitzgerald, Bonham City
From Strangers To Sisters
Onthefirstday,whenmoving intomydorm,Iwassonervous!I wasscaredaboutmyroommate, Iwasnervousaboutmynewcity, and I was so nervous about meetingallofthesenewgirls.If only I had known the first day howamazingalloftheseyoung womenare,Iwouldneverhave hadadoubtinmymind.Within thelast24hoursthesegirlshave becomelikesisters.
Weareallheretorootforone anotherandcheereachotheron. From sharing speech advice, to political views, to earrings that match our outfits, everyone is readytohelpeachotheranddo whatneedstobedone!Ifeelthat Ihavemadelifelongfriendships withstrongindependentwomen andIcannotwaittoseewhere eachandeveryoneofthemgoin life.Icouldn’thaveaskedtobein abettercitywithbetterwomen!
-JadynMcDonald,ChisolmCity
DEMKE DOMINATES
The election process for every office is super nerve racking and takes guts So many girls got elected the last few days with their hard work and determination paying off. Demke City has had the privilege to have many individuals at the County, District and hopefully State level (candidate for Governor and more)!! Some of these women have never had the opportunity to get up and talk in front of people, so for them to get out of their comfort zones and just do it is amazing to me I just wanted to recognize my city for their brilliant personalities and the amazing friendships this city holds. Demke Diamonds and Disco! -Berklee Gossen, Demke City
Commissioner Blumert
Carrie Blumert is the County Commissioner for District 1 in Oklahoma County. She was the youngest county commissioner ever to be elected. She was 31. She worked really hard for her position that she has now. And is an example that we all can do great things young!
One of the reasons she ran for this position is the fact that there are so many issues with the jail. She shared she wanted to help people get clean and get them the proper help they need. She is a strong willed woman that faces discrimination and still rises in the face of adversity. She has worked really hard for this position and touched many delegates with her story.
Tanelly Mojica shared, “She was definitely one of my favorite speakers. She was inspiring because she is a Democratic woman in a mainly Republican male political field. I hope to pick up some of her traits because it is something I admire very much.
Reagan Vinson shared,“I never thought I would have any interest in being a county commissioner until hearing her. She was really amazing, my favorite speaker so far.”
Victoria Mwankwo shared ,“A very real person, really honest about what she went through as a woman. Her talking about the discrimination she faced enlightened us about how politics can be for women, but also reassured us that we can succeed just like her!”
From just these few quotes from the delegates, you can see the impact she had on us just from her speech! She is definitely a great example of a very strong woman who impacts everyone she gets to talk to, in a positive way!
-Serenity Golightly, Keister City
NightOfAllNights:NightofFun
After a long day of rigorous elections and voting, exhausted candidates needed a night of rest and relaxation. Words cannot describe Night of Fun but can only try to. From the ice cream truck to the Conga line, the Night of Fun was truly a night to remember. There were games like corn hole, five in a row, and jenga that the girls bonded over while they enjoyed the fresh air. If you weren ’t playing games, you were enjoying the music and dancing to the beat. Seeing everyone come together and enjoy their time together really shows what Girls State is all about
-Moo Paw, Reed City
The True Dancing Queens
Today’s dance party showcased life “outside of Girls State.” I can genuinely say that every delegate had a great night whether it was dancing, playing games, or simply interacting with one another. I personally spent most of my night on the dance floor, and had so much fun!
It is very apparent that Girls State 2023 is full of dancing queens. I enjoyed all of the counselors teaching dances and just participating with all of us. Sometimes it slips my mind that these girls are just one year older than us. I also enjoyed seeing counselors such as Tracy Smith, Patsy Chinn and Andy Boutwell get on the dance floor; they are simply iconic. This party truly exposed all of the past and present dancing queens!
~ Aatma Patel, Smith City
A tragic night for Blosch City as one of their citizens suffered the worst fate imaginable: a wardrobe malfunction. An embarrassing, yet hilarious story led to a “if you ain’t crocin, you ain’t rockin” revolution. Here’s the story from the victim, and two eyewitnesses.
Victim: We were dancing and singing “Oklahoma!” and I landed on my heels, and felt the actual heel of my shoe move. I just rolled with it and kept vibing. We moved on to Girls State Gal and I was getting into it. I land on my heels and all of a sudden, I’m 3 inches shorter. My heels snapped. I was embarrassed, everyone looked right at me and stared, like eagle eyed. But then I put my crocs on and kept grooving.
Witness 1: I heard a snapping sound next to me and I thought somebody either broke a chair or a bone. I was scared. I didn’t think it was funny until I realized what happened and she put her crocs on Witness 2: When we did the line in Girls State Gal that says, “Be on your toes, all of the time” I heard a crack when we came down. I thought she broke her ankles. It was hilarious thought because she made a noise at the back of her throat that sounded like a frog There’s our tragic story that I think was quite comical. But my question for you is, “Are you crocin and rockin?”
-Sidney Brooks, Blosch City
A G I R L S S T A T E A G I R L S S T A T E H O R R O R S T O R Y H O R R O R S T O R Y
COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS
CRAWFORD COUNTY
ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE:
REMINGTON BOUTWELL
COURT CLERK:
COUNTY CLERK: SHYANN
WHEELER
COUNTY SHERIFF: CLAIR
BECK
COUNTY TREASURER: ELLA
WEBSTER-BAKER
COUNTY ASSESSOR: EMILY
PACK
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #1:
YURIDIA AMAYA
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #2:
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #3:
LUCKI GREENWOOD
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
AUBREY LEBLANC
JADYN MCMAHAN
HAYLEE FLETCHER
TIMIRA SHEPPARD
JAZMYN NELSON
ABBY SWART
MACI STEPHENS
EMMA DAVIS
MELANIE ORTIZ
ANNSLEY BABEK
ADYNN RONALD
STATE SENATE
BERKLEE GOSSEN
MADISON CALDWELL
GRACIE PRUITT
HOPE JORDAN
AVA FOSTER
KEENE COUNTY
ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE:
MAKENNA HALL
COURT CLERK: KATHRYN
THORNTON
COUNTY CLERK: ALYSSA DAVIS
COUNTY SHERIFF: KATY
PITTMAN
COUNTY TREASURER: MIA
OVALLE
COUNTY ASSESSOR: PEYTYN
BROADBENT
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #1:
KAITE HOLLINGSWORTH
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #2:
EMILY COFFELT
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #3:
JENNA BURGESS
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
AVIARY HELMS
TAYLOR BRANDT
MARI CHICK
ADYSON SANDUSKY
CHLOE DENT
KINSLEY BRINGARDNER
KASIA HASS
PAIGE PETTY
KAMI JONES
MADI CALDWELL
CHLOE BOGGS
STATE SENATE
ADYSEN THOMPSON
HANNA FITZGERALD
MIJE PETTIT
LILY BOEVERS
SIDNEY BROOKS
SHAW COUNTY
ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE:
LIBBIE BARNETT
COURT CLERK: LILLY
THOMSON
COUNTY CLERK: AVERY
HAYWOOD
COUNTY SHERIFF: MACYN
SIMMONS
COUNTY TREASURER:
CHLOE HENDERSON
COUNTY ASSESSOR:
MIRANDA DUCHARME
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #1:
GABBY ANTHONY
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #2:
REAGAN VINSON
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #3:
AVA PICKENS
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
ASHLYN WHITELY
SYDNEY CURRIE
BROOKLYN LIERLE
ABBY CUCHIARA
TONI WILLIAMS
MISHELL AJQUEJAY
LILY OSTLER
KINLEY ROBEDEAUX
AUBREY KOEHN
STATE SENATE
NATALIE HOOKER
MIRIAM SCHAFFER
SHELBY TANNEHILL
HOLLY STANDRIDGE
WOOD COUNTY
ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE:
JEWEL CAUDILL
COURT CLERK: MAZIE FINCH
COUNTY CLERK: RAIN
PORTER
COUNTY SHERIFF: SHANNON
CATRON
COUNTY TREASURER: ALLIE
HARTIN
COUNTY ASSESSOR:
ABBIGAIL LAWSON
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #1:
LAUREN EARP
COUNTY COMMISSIONER #2:
MADDY MILTON
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
ANNA KATE JONES
BELLA BENHAN
SARAH DINGUS
HALLIE KINION
AATMA PATEL
MALLORY MILLER
CAILLE MERRELL
GRACIE GARDNER
SATINE THOMAS
MYLISHA ALLEN
ABBY GONZALEZ
KEIONNA TUBBS
STATE SENATE
ESTRELLA QUINONES
TAYLOR SALMOND
AUBREE MOWATT
RILEY JANOE
