By Mollie Schmidt Part of the Girls State experience, although not always positive, is failure. Addressing that potential failure, University of South Dakota S.J.D. Criminal Justice Professor Michael Roche asked delegates or not they had run for offices this week and lost some elections. About one third of delegates raised their hands during the Thursday […]

By Haleigh Bebbington Aalfs Auditorium Slagle Hall filled with excitement Thursday morning as congresswoman Kristi Noem took the stage. Noem hit on the importance of integrity and walked Girls State delegates through the process of getting involved in big government. Noem has spoken at Girls State for the past seven years and said it is […]

The final candidates to represent their party were announced Thursday morning at the General Assembly in Aalfs Auditorium. Waid, from St. Louis, was chosen to lead the Federalist Party as Ruhama Teneda from Seattle was elected as the Nationalist Candidate. The governor of South Dakota ALA Girls State is announced Friday morning and will be […]

By Mollie Schmidt Mike Stevens and Craig Kennedy took center stage Wednesday talking about separate political parties and their political views they while encouraging Girls State delegates to try their best and get as involved as possible. Kennedy’s centered his message on post-secondary education in South Dakota. The morning assembly took place in Aalfs Auditorium […]

By Haleigh Bebbington South Dakota representative Mike Stevens provided Girls State delegates with useful advice Wednesday morning about pushing boundaries and striving for bigger accomplishments. During the assembly in Aalfs Auditorium Slagle Hall, Stevens spoke about empowering women and the importance of getting involved in government. “There was a time not too long ago that […]

By Lucy Dekkenga Among the hundreds of women at ALA South Dakota Girls State this week, there are a few who stand out. One of them can almost always be seen smiling and holding a conversation with someone, whether it’s a delegate or an American Legion Auxiliary member. Even while sitting down for an interview […]

By Lucy Dekkenga Quiet music began to play as a dancer from Miami flowed her movements to the soft song. With her first turn, the crowd applauded. As the song progressed, became louder and more energized, so did she. In sync with the movements and song, the crowd’s cheers grew in Aalfs Auditorium. On one of […]

By Chrystina Anderson From a young age, most of our guardians have encouraged us to pursue our dreams and goals. We’ve often heard encouraging messages such as, “You can do it!” and “Don’t give up!” At the time, some of us may have rolled our eyes, because we know our family, friends and/or guardians are […]

By Mollie Schmidt Ethel Cooper’s goal as the ALA Girls State choir director is to inspire people through music. She hopes to accomplish this goal through the choir concert sang by delegates this year at the Friday night inauguration. This year, delegates will sing a series of pieces, which incude: “United We Stand,” “You Raise […]

By Kenli Carlson The Muenster University Center surged with enthusiasm Wednesday as college and career booths attracted Girls State delegates to explore new opportunities. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Girls State delegates attended the college and career fair, where a variety of booths were on display. Delegates learned about different colleges and careers available […]