Blain Bizzle, incoming senior at Marshall County High School, was selected by his peers and counselors at the Kentucky Boys State session last week to attend Boys Nation in Washington, D.C.
Bizzle, the first-ever MCHS student selected for the American Legion Boys Nation, will join 97 other young men from 49 states next month in a week-long leadership training program designed to teach participants about the structure and function of the federal government. Just two Boys State delegates are selected from each participating American Legion Boys State to take part in Boys Nation.
According to the American Legion, each delegate acts as a senator from his Boys State. The young lawmakers caucus at the beginning of the session, then organize into committees and conduct hearings on bills submitted by program delegates.
Senators learn the proper method of handling bills, according to U.S. Senate rules. Participation in the political process is emphasized throughout the week, including organization of party conventions and nominating and electing a president and vice president.
The week of government training also includes lectures, forums and visits to federal agencies, national shrines, institutions, memorials and historical sites. On Capitol Hill, Boys Nation senators meet with elected officials from their home states.
The American Legion implemented Boys State in 1935; the program began in Kentucky in 1940. About 25,000 young men participate in Boys State each year. The Boys Nation program began in 1946.