Paris Independent School District

The American Legion, Department of Texas, today announced that Nolan Hamer of Paris High School has graduated from the American Legion Texas Boys State. During the week Nolan ran for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court which was an invaluable experience.

Begun in 1935, Boys State is a unique program that educates future leaders about government, civics, and patriotism in a “learn by doing” environment. Each delegate has just finished his junior year of high school and was hand-picked by teachers, counselors, and local American Legion posts throughout Texas to attend this one-week seminar.

During the week, the delegates were evenly split into fictional parties of the Nationalist and Federalists. Each party drafted party platforms, elected party officials, nominated candidates via primary elections, and contested a general election against the rival party and its candidates. The delegates ran for many kinds of offices including state, district, county, and city offices. Those elected to the House of Representatives and Senate spent the week drafting, debating, and passing bills on a wide range of social and economic issues.

This year the delegates heard from dozens of distinguished guest speakers, including Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Joe Maguire, retired U.S. Army Major General Tony Cucolo, and several members of the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate speaking on topics of leadership and public service.

On Wednesday, June 11, Texas Boys State enjoyed a parade from the University of Texas at Austin campus to the Texas State Capitol, where they toured the building and dropped in on their hometown representatives’ offices.

For more information on American Legion Texas Boys State, visit www.TexasBoysState.com.