Schools
Madden, Mistler Chosen for Boys State Legislature
Minnema is Alternate for American Legion Program
Two Dixon High School Juniors, Channing Madden and Miles Mistler, have been selected to attend the 74th Session of the California Boys State, June 18-25 in Sacramento. Devon Minnema was chosen as Alternate.
The boys provided an application and went through an extensive interview with the American Legion Post Boys State Committee at the Veteran’s Hall here in Dixon. The winners were then treated to a special luncheon with about 300 guests.
Dixon teens have been invited to the weeklong mock government for many years. The program is designed to build pride in American citizenship, arouse a keen interest in the detailed study of government and to help safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy.
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Channing, 17, who is considering a career in environmental engineering, had heard about the program from older friends who had already gone through it and thought it would be a lot of fun. He attended an informational luncheon recently with his father, Brian, along with Keri and Miles Mistler, David Dingman and Devon Minnema and Kevin Kilkenny from the Dixon American Legion Post 208.
“I got more interested after going to the luncheon,” said Channing. “It seems they do a lot in that one week and I was surprised they can get so much done like taking the bar exam and becoming lawyers, then running (the legislature).”
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Selection serves as testimony to a participant’s character and leadership skills and is an experience recognized by employers and service academy and university admissions boards as an indicator of strong leadership and character traits, say organizers.
“This is a really impressive program and we were told about United States Presidents and other leaders who went through it,” said Dingman. “The boys are going to learn a lot from this experience—it covers the local, county, and state level of government.”
The event will be held at California State University Sacramento. For more information, call Kilkenney at the Veteran’s Hall at (707) 678-6308.