More than 565 young men will attend Arkansas Boys State, an immersive leadership and civic engagement experience sponsored by the American Legion. Participants include southeast Arkansas residents.
The program in civics education is designed for high school juniors. This summer’s 83rd annual session runs May 26-31 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. The 2024 enrollment marks its largest class of young men in seven years, according to a news release.
During their week at Arkansas Boys State, these delegates are assigned a political party, city, and county. Delegates, from the ground up, administer this mock government as if it were real: they run for office, draft and pass legislation, solve municipal challenges, and engage constituents.
Local students attending Arkansas Boys State 2024 include:
Braxton Harvey of Rison from Woodlawn High School
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Mason Edmonds of Star City from Woodlawn High School
Brayden Socia of Rison from Fordyce High School
Blake Gibson of Monticello from Drew Central High School
Blake Wilson of Tillar from Drew Central High School
Carter Wilkerson of Hermitage from Hermitage High School
Carter Curtis of Hermitage from Hermitage High School
Dylan Dedman of Rison from Rison High School
Thomas Wilson of Rison from Rison High School
Aaron Tilley of Rison from Rison High School
Jamarion Miller of Dermott from Dermott High School
Billy Reddick of Dumas from Dumas High School
Chancey Dale of Dumas from Dumas High School
Teshawn Henderson of Dumas from Dumas High School
Jeremyah Davis of Pine Bluff from Dumas High School
Cayden Marshall of Dumas from Dumas High School
Dylan Vaca of Dumas from Dumas High School
Cameron Cupples of Rison from Arkansas Virtual Academy High School
Kyle McAffry of McGehee from McGehee High School
T.J. Block of McGehee from McGehee High School
Deriyon Graydon of Pine Bluff from Pine Bluff High School
Xzaeviun Sims of Pine Bluff from Pine Bluff High School
Omar Tucker of Pine Bluff from Pine Bluff High School
Danny Johnson of Pine Bluff from Pine Bluff High School
Preston Benning of Sheridan from Sheridan High School
Brick Fox of Gillett from DeWitt High School
Daigan Burnett of DeWitt from DeWitt High School
Elliott Boyd of Stuttgart from Stuttgart High School
Colby Dean of Stuttgart from Stuttgart High School
J.D. Hertzog of Stuttgart from Stuttgart High School
Logan Releford of Stuttgart from Stuttgart High School
Peyton Thompson of Humphrey from Stuttgart High School
Carter Wheeler of Stuttgart from Stuttgart High School
Colby Barnett of Stuttgart from Stuttgart High School
Daniel Castillo of Warren from Warren High School
Braylen Watson of Warren from Warren High School
Cody Weatherspoon of Warren from Warren High School.
At Arkansas Boys State, these students will be guided through their experience by more than 70 volunteers who serve the program. The staff of volunteers includes college students and career professionals with interests and expertise in education, finance, industry, politics and government, journalism, and more.
By the week’s end, the delegates have experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand while making lifelong memories and friends — all with the guiding principle that “Democracy Depends on Me.”
The week’s activities, including keynote speakers, general assemblies and election speeches, will be streamed live by Arkansas PBS on their Arkansas Citizens Access Network: https://www.myarkansaspbs.org/arcan.
Since 1940, the weeklong summer program has transformed the next generation of leaders throughout the state and beyond. These men have become state, national and international leaders, including former President Bill Clinton, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former White House Chiefs of Staff Mack McLarty and Jack Watson Jr., Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. John Boozman and Arkansas Chief Justice John Dan Kemp. Details: arboysstate.org.