South Dakota Sen. Billie Sutton believes women are underrepresented in politics. Sutton said women make up only about 20 percent of the government, while they make up around 52 percent of the nation’s population. Additionally, South Dakota has never had a female governor, and the United States has never had a female president. Sutton encouraged delegates to get involved politically. He told the girls it was […]

By Adeline Smidt   Emily Firman Pieper got the 2016 Girls State session off to an exciting start at the first general assembly Monday night. Firman Pieper, a resident of Flandreau, attended South Dakota Girls State in 1994 and was elected governor that year.  Today, she stays busy raising three children and running a nonprofit […]

By Lauren Svatos   To conclude the first full day at Girl’s State, South Dakota Army National Guard 2nd Chief Warrant Officer Shane Toupal taught a seminar based on self-defense. Toupal started the assembly by saying, “Everyone is a leader.” He explained the three stages of assault: sexual assault, assault prevention and the aftermath. Simple […]

By Samantha Simonsen   For Kate Katterhagen, Philadelphia, “The United States flag represents all the people who fought for freedom “And it also represents my symbol of patriotic pride,” she said. The flag is a respected symbol in the United States, and with this status comes flag etiquette. Flag code formalizes and unifies the traditional […]

By Anna Eggers   Dustin Johnson hoped to encourage Girls State delegates to aim high for success Tuesday. Johnson spoke at the morning session of the general assembly. He is the former Public Utilities Commissioner and Chief of Staff for Governor Dennis Daugaard and currently the Vice President of Vantage Point Solutions. Johnson said “speaking […]

By Nadine Moore This week, there are some ladies weaving in and out of meetings, classes and so on. These girls are part of Journalism City, and we do much more than just cut in line for every meal. Maybe this column will help spare us the glares. To be honest, coming into this week, […]

By Nadine Moore   Nadine Moore: What’s the most influential piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Mike Rounds: Don’t sell yourself short. And remember, you should leave this place better than you’ve found it. I think they both go hand-in-hand. You have to have the confidence to do the job. With that confidence, you […]

By Lexis Sherron   In his speech Tuesday morning to Girls State delegates, Sen. John Thune told his own story of participation as a New York delegate at Boys State in 1978. John Thune represents South Dakota as one of two members in the United States Senate. Winning election for the House of Representatives in […]

By Abigail Beeson   Kerwin Douthit gave a powerful speech to delegates Monday night. Girls State ended its first general assembly with a speech from the U.S. Retired Air Force Veteran, who goes by “Peewee.” “Memorial Day brings good memories and some very bad memories,” Douthit said. “Being a Vietnam Veteran, Memorial Day brings back […]

  By Taryn Northrup This year’s annual American Legion Auxiliary South Dakota Girls State is a special one. Not only are more girls attending than ever before, but it’s also a celebration of the 70th year. During the early years of The Great Depression, patriotism, unity and an overall knowledge about the government was needed […]