July 27th, 2008
Girls and boys state reporting program scheduled

The six young men and 12 young women who represented San Marcos American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary Post and Unit 144 at the 2008 American Legion Boys and Girls State sessions will report back on their participation in those government-in-action sessions at 2 p.m. Sunday, August 17, 2008, at the American Legion Hall. The public is invited. A reception will follow the students’ presentations.

American Legion Post 144 sent three students from San Marcos High School and three from Wimberley High School to the Boys State session held on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Auxiliary Unit 144 sent three from San Marcos High School, three from Jack C. Hays High School, one from Lehman High School, one from Wimberley High School, one from Dripping Springs High School and three from the Katherine Anne Porter High School in Wimberley attended Girls State. The Bluebonnet Girls State session was held at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin.

For the fourth time in ten years, one of Unit 144’s delegates scored big in Bluebonnet Girls State elections. Amber “Kera” Harmon of San Marcos, a student at Katherine Anne Porter High School, was elected governor and chosen by her peers as one of two “Outstanding Citizens for 2008.” Her swearing in was during the group’s visit to the State Capitol in Austin on June 21.

In 2004, Chelsea Bordovsky of Kyle, then a student at Jack C. Hays High School, was elected governor. After failing to get her party’s state officer nomination, Bordovsky won more than 85 percent of the vote as a write-in candidate. San Marcos High School student Lauren Rogers was elected governor in 2000, and Hays High School graduate Jennifer Hall went on to be elected vice president of Girls Nation in 1998.

Boys State delegates from San Marcos High School were Paul Andrew Hill, Danny A. Palacios and Benjamin J. Schneider. They were sponsored by Ozona Bank, Ingram Readymix and CenturyTel. Delegates from Wimberley High School, all sponsored by the Wimberley Lions Club, were Cameron M. Allen, Erick Wolff Bauman and Joseph R. Beavers.

San Marcos High School students attending Girls State were Ashley Calzada, Aimee Garcia and Pam House. Sponsors were San Marcos High School, CenturyTel and Frost Bank. Attending from Hays High School were Tamara Crockett, Catherine Jones and Amanda Sandoval, all of Buda. Sponsors were Texas Lehigh Cement, San Marcos Attorney Tom Garner and Dripping Springs American Legion Post 190.

Rachel Roca of San Marcos attended from Lehman High School. She was sponsored by Beth Nelson, Martha Nelson, Amber Schwartz and Theresa Schwartz Attending from Dripping Springs High School was Sarah Jennings of Austin , sponsored by the Dripping Springs Lions Club.

Jennifer Cloudt of Stonewall, a student at Wimberley High School, was sponsored by Ingram Ready Mix. In addition to Amber “Kera” Harmon, Katherine Anne Porter delegates included Paloma Bermudez of Canyon Lake and Grey Gibson of Dripping Springs.

The basic purpose of both national programs is to educate the young men and women in the duties, privileges, rights and responsibilities of American citizenship.

By PAT MURDOCK