The American Legion Boys State program was started in Illinois in 1935 and is primarily designed to help participants understand and appreciate the principles and workings of Government, at the national, state, county, and local levels, along with an understanding of the values, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship.
South Dakota Boys State is a five-day, interactive program that begins every year on Memorial Day, and is hosted on the campus of Northern State University in Aberdeen. Students attend the summer between their Junior and Senior years of High School, after being selected by both their school and the sponsoring post (in Aberdeen, this is Sidney L Smith, post #24).
To apply, a candidate must be a US Citizen, living (or attending school) in South Dakota. Selection criteria is excellence in Academics, a history of Leadership, and a record of Citizenship and Community Involvement.
Applications for Boys State are available online, normally on or just after the first of February, and students from Aberdeen who have applied will be contacted for an interview with the Post's Boys State selection committee.
The 2017 session of Boys State will commence on Monday, May 29th and run through Friday, June 2nd. There is no cost to the student for attending, but the post does ask that all applicants be committed to attending if chosen.
The orientation session for 2017 Boys State will be Saturday, May 13th at 4:00pm, and will be held in the American Legion office at the Eagles Club (316 S 2nd St) in Aberdeen.