Monday, May 26th 2014

Day 2 of Oklahoma Girls State began with our group picture. As director Betty McElderry would say, the ladies moved “brightly, quietly, and spritely”, which made directing 440 ladies quite easy. Next the girls went on to city elections. These positions include: mayor, council members, city manager, city judge, city attorney, city clerk, city treasurer, police chief, fire chief, planning and zoning commissioner, street commissioner, emergency management director, and city reporter. Results from these elections can be found in the Monday edition of The Girls Stater, Oklahoma Girls State’s phenomenal newspaper!

After lunch, the girls moved on to filing for district and state offices and attended their district’s party mixers. Here, for the first time, candidates from both the Boomer and Sooner parties introduced themselves and gave speeches. Bravo to the young women who are stepping out of their comfort zones and running for these prestigious positions! After all of the competitors had a chance to speak, the fun began. Each of the parties came up with party chants and cheers to enhance the spirit of the group. Following the mixers,  delegates who were elected as city officials took the oath of office led by former Oklahoma Girls State Lt. Governor, Macie Snowden.
Next Representative Emily Virgin paid a visit to our state. She is a true inspiration. Emily was first elected to office at the age of 23. She encouraged the ladies not to be held back because they are young and spoke of the various ways women bring different characteristics to politics than men. Emily bashed the stereotype that men can do politics better than women. Women,  and young women at that, are just as smart, just as qualified, and just as motivated as the  men around them who dominate the field.  She rallied the girls together and told them to dream big, and one day soon they, too, very well might find themselves in the same position she currently holds today.


We wrapped this Memorial Day up with our annual Poppy Ceremony. Senior Counselor, Emily Thompson, began with her own story. She told the girls what it is like to face adversity and powerful ways to overcome it with poise and grace. Not only is she a military officer herself, she is married to a man in the armed forces who was deployed four short months after their wedding. Emily knows firsthand what true sacrifice and dedication to one’s country means. We are so grateful and blessed to have her on our staff. To conclude the ceremony, past department president, Cindy Hamilton, read to the ladies the story behind the poppy. The girls were then able to each take a poppy and place it on a wreath, symbolizing their appreciation for the  men and women who laid down their lives for our country.


From all of the staff and young women here at Oklahoma Girls State, we want to give a HUGE thank you to both our veterans and active men and women across the nation. We truly appreciate all that you do!