Last week I had a conversation with Hills resident and American Legionnaire Wendell Erickson.During our conversation, he mentioned that the Legion and Legion Auxiliary were searching for candidates to send to Boys’ and Girls’ State this summer.As a former South Dakota Girls’ Stater, I was sad to hear that students at Hills-Beaver Creek hadn’t expressed interest in the program. In fact, the Legion Auxiliary has not sent a candidate to Girls’ State in years.So, I’m volunteering this space to help promote the programs.Boys’ and Girls’ State are week-long adventures where students participate in a functional practice of democratic activities.Students representing their town’s American Legion spend the week living together in dorms. As a group they become fictional citizens working together to form a government body.They organize and operate their own city, county and state governments. They introduce and argue their own bills in legislature. They establish their own law enforcement agencies, and their courts administer justice.For parents this experience is an outstanding way to get their children interested in college. The opportunity to spend a week in a dorm on a college campus is enough to inspire most seniors in high school to seriously consider college as an option.Suddenly for a week, during a very important summer of a young adult’s life, they are with hundreds of strangers their age. It encourages them to develop and share dreams with these new friends. If they don’t have plans for their future when they arrive, they will by the end of the week.When compared with spending another week of the summer driving around, shopping in Sioux Falls, watching television or working, this experience wins every time.For students, the week is like a mini summer camp, except there aren’t bugs, camp directors or bad camp food.During the days, students choose what level of participation they want in the government. They can decide to run for representative, mayor, governor or just help a winning campaign. From there they can write speeches or laws, make campaign posters and play. That is really all it is. They are playing government.For students who have enjoyed playing lawyers and witnesses in the H-BC Mock Trial program, this is definitely for them.In the evenings and afternoons, students pretty much have the run of a college campus. Meals are served in the cafeteria, people work out in the gym and there is plenty of running amuck in the hallways of the dorms.I used the week to forge some life-long friendships. The girls on my wing of the dorm were amazing. We had so much fun together that we were all in tears when the week was over and we had to go home.A year later when I was packing my car to head for another, more permanent dorm room, I wasn’t scared. I knew from experience that I would be fine. I knew that I would make friends, that I could share a bathroom, and most importantly, that I would have a great time.This year will be the 58th Boys’ State session in Minnesota. The experience will be June 11-17 at St. John’s University campus in Collegeville. Officials expect more than 450 candidates to participate.Girls’ State participants will come together at the same time at Bethel University in St. Paul.All current H-BC juniors are eligible candidates. Interested students can contact David Deragisch or Steve Wiertzema at the high school.Story ideas or comments can be e-mailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.