The sixty-third annual session of the NH American Legion Boys State program was held from June 26 to July 2, 2010. Welcome D. Frye, an incoming senior at Fall Mountain Regional High School, was elected Governor.
Sixty-three high school juniors from 27 New Hampshire high schools, including two Home School students, convened at Rivier College in Nashua to establish the mythical fifty-first state - Boys State. The students came from all parts of New Hampshire to become more educated in the American way of government, to apply what they learned and to establish friendships that will last well beyond the week of Boys State. The students were assigned to a city or a town, to an Executive Council District and to one of two political parties (Nationalist or Whig). The towns were smaller than the city to simulate actual differences in the respective populations of cities and towns. One-third of the students were assigned as members of the Senate and two-thirds as members of the House of Representatives to simulate the difference in size of those two legislative bodies.
Following instructions by staff and guest speakers, the students established their city and town governments, worked within their political parties, and ultimately established their state government. The delegates established party platforms, campaigned for office through primary and general elections, and exercised the duties of the offices they held. Everyone served in an elected or appointed office.
On Thursday, July 1st, Boys State visited the state capitol building in Concord, where the students were given a tour by a State House Tour Guide and had the opportunity to debate a bill in the House Chamber. Governor John Lynch joined the students for a discussion on current legislation being discussed or recently passed by the NH State Legislature. The visit to the State Capitol was preceded by a much appreciated lunch at Post #28 in Suncook.
Once again, Rivier College awarded three college credits to the graduates who successfully completed the program and applied & paid for the credits.
- Governor - Welcome D. Frye - Fall Mountain Regional High School
- District One Executive Councilor - William N. Chapman - Portsmouth High School
- District Two Executive Councilor - Alexander Marinaccio - Hollis-Brookline High School
- District Three Executive Councilor - Jaimen P. Perez - Manchester West High School
- At-Large Executive Councilor - Kevin A. McAleese - Nashua High School North
- At-Large Executive Councilor - Daniel R. Starkweather - Bishop Brady High School
- Secretary of State - Gabriel L. Noronha - Oyster River High School
- State Treasurer - Joshua C. Berk - Dover High School
- President of the Senate - Douglas N. Corriveau - Home School
- Speaker of the House - Conor R. Dube - Timberlane Regional High School
- American Legion Boys State Scholarships -
- Joshua C. Berk - Dover High School
- Conor R. Dube - Timberlane Regional High School
- Connor A. Humber - Nashua High School South
- Ryan F. McGovern - Exeter High School
- Sons of the American Legion Boys State Scholarships -
- Kevin A. McAleese - Nashua High School North
- Alexander P. Marinaccio - Hollis-Brookline High School
- Eli Marcoux Award - David T. Wright - Home School (Presented to the student who best exemplified the overall good citizenship goals of Boys State.
- Boys Nation Senators -
Kevin A. McAleese - Nashua High School North - Connor A. Humber - Nashua High School South
- First Alternate to Boys Nation - Ryan A. McGovern - Exeter High School
- Second Alternate to Boys Nation - Douglas N. Corriveau - Home School
- Samsung Scholarship Finalist - Zack A. Donaldson - Berlin High School (Awarded from an endowment scholarship program funded by the Samsung Group of South Korea in recognition and gratitude for servicemen and women who served during the Korean War.
Many fine guest speakers from throughout the state addressed the students and we continue to be grateful for their participation. The speakers for this year's program, with their topics in parentheses, were: National Executive Committeeman Jack Neylon (The American Legion); Chairman Joe Caouette (National Americanism Commission); Russ Marcoux, Bedford Town Manager (City & Town Government); State Representative Shaun Doherty, representing the NHGOP (Two-Party System); Executive Councilor Deborah Pignatelli (Executive Council); State Representative John Graham (NH General Court); Attorney Michael Craig and Associates of Manchester (Mock Trial); Detective Lt. Jeff Bukunt, Nashua Police Department (Juvenile Justice); and Attorney and staff member Alex Henlin (NH Court System). Boys State Chairman Dan Guerrette did a presentation on revisiting the legacy of President Franklin Pierce, NH's only president.
The Concord Coalition's federal deficit reduction spending exercise was once again included in the Boys State curriculum and was facilitated by Assistant Director Keith Luter. The Concord Coalition is a national nonpartisan grass roots effort, initially founded by Senators Warren Rudman (R-NH) and Paul Tsongas (D-MA), to reduce the growth of federal deficit spending. Students were broken down into committees and were provided with the real numbers of the federal budget and were faced with the real challenges federal government legislators have to deal with in trying to control future spending and reducing the federal budget deficit going forward. The lessons learned are applicable to all levels of government.
Prior to the Boys State graduation, staff member Jason Cipriano showed a video he produced of the week's activities to provide the families and guests with information on what the students experienced during their week at Boys State.
Plaques of appreciation were presented at graduation to Joseph Nee, for 20 years of service as Boys State Director, and to Dan Guerrette for 25 years of leadership service to Boys State, including 22 years as Chairman. Immediate PDC William Roy presented the plaques along with Department Commander Frank Anderson. State Representative and Boys State Committee Vice Chairman John Graham was the graduation speaker.
The staff, comprised of educators and alumni of NH's Boys State program, did another terrific job providing guidance and direction to this Boys State session. The staff included Director Joseph Nee and Assistant Director Keith Luter; Sr. Staff Counselors Jason Cipriano and Attorney Alexander Henlin; Sr. Counselors Aaron Weinstein, Alex Rouleau and Joseph Plunkett; and Jr. Counselor David Stewart. Many on the staff were Boys State Governors and/or Boys Nation Senators.
With gratitude, Boys State acknowledges the generous donation of William McGee, a 1954 graduate of Boys State and 1955 graduate of Milford High School. Mr. McGee who is a Vietnam Veteran who flew over 400 combat missions in Vietnam donated copies of his book Men of Granite: True Stories of New Hampshire's Fighting Men to be distributed at Boys State. He is currently a free-lance writer living in New York.
The Boys State Committee would like to express its appreciation for the continued support of legion posts and participating high schools who recruit and sponsor students to the program. We wish the best to all of our participating students who are among the finest young people in our state! The Committee would also like to thank all Legionnaires, legion posts and districts who provided the following to make Boys State successful: donations of time, money, food and materials. Special thanks to Lisa Covey, Department Secretary, who did an excellent job providing administrative support to the Boys State program. Special thanks also to PDC and Boys State Vice Chairman Tony Rabbia for coordinating all donations and getting the food, soda and Color Guard equipment to Rivier College and to Representative and Boys State Vice Chairman. John Graham who coordinated the field trip to Concord and the meeting with Governor John Lynch.
The class of 2010 is on Facebook.