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<p><strong>From staff reports</strong></p>
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<p>In June, American Legion Beaufort Post 9 and Post 207 Auxiliary sponsored 10 young men and 10 young women, all local high school rising seniors, to South Carolina’s Palmetto Boys and Girls State encampments.</p>
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<p>Post 9 recently celebrated these future leaders at a ceremony where they received praise for their activities at Palmetto Boys and Girls State encampments.</p>
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<p>The area’s Boys State selections were Jake Alvarez (Beaufort High), Brock Durham (Holy Trinity), Ivan Huerta (Battery Creek), Quade Matthews (Battery Creek), Emmett O’Brien (Beaufort High), Anuj Patel (Beaufort High), Brian Rogers (Beaufort Academy), Graham Ruff (Beaufort High) and Aidan Tibbitt (John Paul II).</p>
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<p>Beaufort’s Emmett O’Brien learned much about hands-on politics. While serving as a South Carolina state senator, he made an unsuccessful run for governor. That experience led to his selection to represent South Carolina at Boys Nation in Washington, where he served as one of South Carolina’s Senators, successfully led his bill to passage and managed the campaign for another student running for President.</p>
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<p>The area’s Girls State selections were Carolina Alvarez (Battery Creek), Melia Bland (Beaufort High), Anna Brown (Beaufort High), Amelia Brunson (Holy Trinity), Kaylen Caldwell (Whale Branch), Shauntia Caruso (Beaufort High), Layla DuPont (Battery Creek), Mary Hiers (Beaufort Academy), Lissy Rembold (John Paul II) and Madison Schaffer (The Complete Student, Port Royal).</p>
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<p>Every state except Hawaii holds Boys State and Girls State gatherings each summer for a week of intense activities involving leadership, citizenship, government, politics and athletics; South Carolina’s began in 1940. These programs spark interest and pride in government from the local level upward. Participants learn by doing, with active participation in mock city, county and state level governing.&nbsp;</p>
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