Realizing the value and importance of Girls State

By Madison Rost

I asked “What do you think Journalism City actually does besides go to flag raising and lowering, general assembly and have the ability to eat first?”

Delegates Emily Hanson and Ellie Swanson responded, “You guys write the wonderful newspaper,” and “You guys take pictures, and have to fill the articles out.”

The girls of Journalism City would like to clear the confusion.  We are a small group of nine aspiring journalists who work together all day everyday to produce the Sacajawea Scroll. We are very busy all day brainstorming, interviewing, writing and editing the Sacajawea Scroll that is delivered in front of your door at 5:30 a.m. every morning.

There are definitely some pros and cons of being a part of Journalism City.

Eating first is important for the journalists. We are busy trying to find time to work and interview people. Also, it is oftentimes easier to interview individuals at meals because everyone is busy with their cities throughout the rest of the day.

Many girls from Journalism City stay awake until midnight finishing up final edits for the issues of the daily newspaper. However, spending a large amount of time in the Al Neuharth Media Center causes us to be a little bit out of the loop and we find we don’t know what’s going on with the campaigning cities.

Both delegates and journalists play a very important role in South Dakota Girls State. The delegates are like the actors, and the journalists are like critics who observe and report on what happened.

Journalism is commonly defined as the activity of reporting, writing, editing, photographing or broadcasting news or of overseeing any type of business or organization related to the news. Aside from daily Girls State activities, the Sacajawea Scroll is a great way for us to get the real experience in writing and for delegates to get real experience in government.

It is important for everyone attending Girls State to acknowledge that it is an honor they are able to attend such an amazing learning experience. Next year as seniors, delegates and journalists alike should plan on advocating at their school to continue to be well represented at Girls State. Many people are not sure what Girls State is, and by sharing fun stories and experiences, next year could have an even larger turnout.

You are part of a legacy and we want this legacy to continue. It is an honor to be a part of Girls State because we are the young women who will be leading South Dakota in the future.

Well, if you don’t know what you would say to incoming delegates, here are some possible pieces of advice: Get involved; just go for it, run for anything that interests you. There is nothing to lose if you don’t receive the position you were hoping for. Stay open minded and make friends because this is your only shot at attending Girls State, so make the best out of it, as you will run into people from your city or county for the rest of your life.

“That’s probably the one thing I regret is not running for a different position,” Hanson said. “Have fun, just be open to all of the positions there are so many opportunities.”