The Willard Stout Post 266, Belle Center American Legion Auxiliary has selected Benjamin Logan High School student Claire Rhodes as their delegate to attend the 2023 Buckeye Girls State.
The senior-to-be from BLHS will be among the nearly 600 girls participating in the 77th annual session of Buckeye Girls State at Bowling Green State University, beginning Sunday, June 11, and concluding Saturday, June 17.
It is a fast-paced program of mock government at the state, county and city levels. The main objective of the Girls State program is to train young women, who have completed their junior year in the duties, rights and privileges of citizenship by providing the attendee the opportunity to actively participate in a democratic form of government.
As the girls arrive at Girls State they are assigned to one of two political parties. The residence hall in which they live during the program is their designated county and the floor on which they live is their city. The students will file petitions for candidacy for a variety of offices from governor to city council and participate in the election process. After elections and inaugurations, they will put government in action.
The Willard Stout Post 266 of Belle Center will be sponsoring Claire. A daughter of Neill and Tara Rhodes of Zanesfield, she is involved in the National Honor Society, Tri-M, Gardening Club, Spanish Club, Key Club, Interact Club (Raider Outreach Club), marching band, pep band and concert band. Claire is the president of the Robotics Club and serves as the junior class representative.