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July 9, 2015
Learn by doing.
That is the basis behind the American Legion Buckeye Boys State eight-day experience held annually at Bowling Green State University.
In order to attend Boys State, students must have good scholastic ranking and be recommended by their principal to the sponsoring American Legion Post/Squadron.
Four VASJ students were recommended by VASJ Principal David Csank and sponsored by the American Legion Post 7 in Wickliffe to attend Boys State.
The object of Buckeye Boys State is to teach young men about city, county and state government and the organization of political parties. And they teach this by letting the students do it all.
“It develops a lot of responsibility -- no one is holding your hand through it,” says Joe Martin, one of four students from VASJ to attend this year’s Boys State. “There are no instructions. You have to figure out the best way to fill your occupation.”
The hands-on approach to teaching and learning resulted in attendees relying on one another to get their jobs done and to be successful.
“I don’t think anyone there worked alone,” Joe says. “It definitely develops skills in teamwork and leadership.”
Coincidentally, all four VASJ students chose careers in law enforcement.
Jacob Stauffer ‘16 was elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Brandon O’Donnell ‘16 served as Chief of Police, John Henry Posey ‘16 was Sheriff and Joe Martin ‘16 ran for county prosecution and opened his own law firm.
Boys State attendees worked in their mock jobs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day of the program but as the VASJ students quickly realized, sometimes you have to put in the extra effort to do a job well.
“I worked longer hours because I had a lot of cases,” says Joe of his role as an attorney.
Joe Martin proudly displays his Buckeye Boys State certificate after completing the week.John Henry Posey, who served as Sheriff of Welsh County, also found his job to be more demanding than anticipated.
“Sometimes I had to stay for a half an hour afterwards to finish last-minute items,” he says. “I had to create a budget for the department, supervise the execution of warrants and represent the department in court.”
Although all four VASJ students ended up with occupations in law enforcement, each had different reasons for their choices.
Joe Martin had never thought about practicing law as a career so it was a chance for him to do something he has never considered doing.
“It was an opportunity to go outside of my comfort zone and try something different,” says Joe.
For Jacob Stauffer, it was a chance to set high goals and work hard to achieve them.
“I wanted to be on the Supreme Court and I figured why not go big so I ran for Chief Justice,” Jacob says.
“I think that I was elected because of my ability to speak well and my ability to talk in front of a big crowd,” he adds.
Jacob Stauffer (center) was elected Supreme Court Justice at Buckeye Boys StateJohn Henry Posey saw it as an opportunity to get some valuable experience in an area he is interested in pursuing.
“I chose to be a sheriff because I am an aspiring law enforcement officer,” John Henry says.
His experience as sheriff was an eye-opening one.
“I learned that the role of a police is more challenging than one can imagine and that working in high levels of law enforcement is both rewarding and stressful.”
The hands-on, real-life work experience they gained at Buckeye Boys State was invaluable.
Joe Martin learned the value of being a self-starter and the importance of being proactive to achieve his goals.
“It made me realize that I need to start working on my own. If I want something, I need to go out there and get it. I can’t keep waiting for things to just happen or come my way,” says Joe Martin.
Jacob Stauffer realized that a little confidence can go a long way.
“I learned that anything is possible if you're confident enough.”
Hopefully they walked away realizing that their futures are bright and the best is yet to come.
But those who have watched them mature and grow over the last three years at VASJ already knew that.