What an amazing week it has been! Today (like everyday) was a busy one! It kicked off with an inside flag ceremony due to some rain showers, but on Friday at ALA EGS we will take the rain in the morning as long as its nice for our ceremony in the evening!
Appellate Court
The ALA EGS Attorney General heard the case from Earhart County! Attorney General Ava Hartung conducted Appellate court. Participants from a county trial in Earhart County retried a case in which a defendant was sentenced 200 years in prison for an alleged fake ID. The participants showed off their mock trial skills in this court session. Their ability to put together convincing arguments and it was determined that the defendant was not guilty. The entire state celebrated this victory by chalking the sidewalks celebrating that justice prevailed.
Thank you Veterans
We were fortunate enough to have 4 female veterans on staff this year. It was awesome to learn from them and work with them this year!
Americanism
Today participants had the opportunity to fold flags, learn about their meaning and hear about the pocket flag program. They also learned about the history of the poppy, received information on the Flanders Field poem, and learned how to make a poppy. They also learned about how veterans can earn money making poppies and how tough it is to do when fully able, but that doing it as a disabled veteran is a much different experience.
Governor Appointments
Each year the Governor has the ability to appoint several positions. Citizens write self nominating letters to the governor and read through them and make her decisions. These positions include the following:
| Title or Commissioner of | Citizen Name | From |
| Commissioner Of Criminal Justice | Citizen Carina | Manhasset, NY |
| Commissioner Of Agriculture | Citizen Sophia | Middleport, NY |
| Commissioner Of Education | Citizen Elizabeth | Eastchester, NY |
| Commissioner Of Environmental Conserv. | Citizen Alaina | Erieville, NY |
| Commissioner Of Technology | Citizen Amy | Southold, NY |
| Commissioner Of Homeland Security | Citizen Grace | Catskill, NY |
| Chief of Staff | Citizen Ava | Holmes, NY |
| Surgeon General | Citizen Kristy | Monroe, NY |
| Press Secretary | Citizen Jaylene | Rome, NY |
| State Budget Director | Mary Redmore | Binghamton, NY |
How a Bill Becomes a Law…
Usually this part of the week has us humming along to a little school house rocks ditty (that’s not about Jack and Diane) which we know makes us feel old, but it is such a good classic. Here are the bill that the Governor signed at the end of our legislative session and a picture of her Excellency making it happen!
- Juvenile Restoration (Federalist Criminal Justice Committee)
- Industrial Air Filtration Act (Nationalist Environmental Conservation Committee)
- Expansive Education Act (Nationalist Educational Technology Committee)
- GRR -Gun Reform & Regulation (Nationalist Criminal Justice Committee)
- Health Education Certification (H.E.C) Bill (Nationalist Health Committee)
State of the State Ceremony
Our week of learning and fun culminated with the state of the state ceremony. This ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of the week, provided the Governor the opportunity to give her address, provided opportunity for reflection, and allowed friends, families, and attendees a little glimpse of the magic that was the 2023 ALA Empire Girls State Session.
The Long Goodbye…
At ALA Empire Girls State we refer to the last night as one big long goodbye. Citizens stay up talking, signing shirts, eating sooo much pizza, having dance breaks, riding the pony, and so much more. It is a night of transformation as we think about where they started as communities of girls to the sisterhood that they have become. This goodbye continues to check out where we have the checkout area, exhausted citizen sleeping “lounge” and the beloved “hug and cry” area. It has truly been a great week at ALA Empire Girls State.
A Point of Personal Privilege
We ARRRRRRRRREE PR! We are so excited to have shared the week with you our families, auxiliary members and alumnae! It takes a village and we could not have pulled together the content without the support of everyone behind the scenes. We do want to however take a point of personal privilege to give a shout out to our Assistant PR Cam from Ginsburg County. ALA EGS Chairman Kris talked about each citizen having their voice and that each and every citizen was here for a reason. Cam visited the PR team one day early in the week as she looked to find her niche at ALA Empire Girls State and she was hoping to be part of our team in some way. Well some way turned into a big way and we are so proud of the work Cam did to help us, but to go outside of her comfort zone throughout the week to get the best shot, interact with people not in her county to make sure we had an array of pictures. Cam is the epitome of what Kris talked about- Not everyone will be Governor or Party Leader, but every single person here has an equally important role to ensure that the program is successful. We consider ourselves lucky to have Cam’s role be of that in PR. We hope that Cam’s story inspires you to go out and create opportunities for yourselves like she did, because sometimes you have to take a risk along the way. We love you Cam and couldn’t be more proud!
And with that…ALA Empire Girls State 2023 is a wrap! PR OUT!
Thank you for following along, and forgiving our late night early morning typos!
-With full hearts, sleepy eyes, and way less memory on our devices than we came
❤ WE LOVE GIRLS STATE ❤
Carrie & Jen
#WeArePR
American Legion Auxiliary Empire Girls State 