Girls State Report Request

Calling all 2011 Girls State Girls!

If you would do three things for me I would really appreciate it!

1. Send me a paragraph or two on your Girls State experience to post on the blog.
2. Send me any pictures that you would let me post on the blog. We would love to see them!!
3. Write a thank you letter to our generous Girls State donors.

If you could send these to me via email I would really appreciate it. I have emailed all of you but have only heard back from Holly. Thanks, Holly!

email: spanishforkgirlsstate@gmail.com

Thank you!

Girls State Report

Holly Fullmer

"I loved Girls’ State! I would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to go! Not only did I gain a greater love for my country, but I was brought into situations where my confidence was strengthened. The leaders were funny, and all the girls were awesome! And sheesh, the dorms were nice! I’m so thankful for all those who work so hard to put this program on, because it really made a difference in my life! Thank you Auxiliary members and my district members! I owe you!"

Thanks, Holly! We loved the pictures and reading about how you enjoyed Girls State! It looks like you had a blast!

Girls State Girl Update

We appreciate all of our Girls State Girls! We love to hear how they're doing after Girls State. We got an update from a 2010 Girls State Girl, Natalie Hedelius, last week.

Natalie will be attending Brigham Young University-Idaho this fall majoring in Physics Education with a minor in theater and speech. She was the Salutatorian for American Leadership Academy and received two scholarships from BYU-Idaho in Academics and Music. She is headed to National Speech and Debate Competition this month and we got to hear her piece for the competition tonight. The video is a little shaky and I started a second or two after she started, sorry about that. We hope you enjoy her piece based on Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place. You can view her video here. Good luck at Nationals, Natalie!

Natalie also placed third in the Freedom Festival's Speech Contest. You can view her video here. Enjoy!!

Girls State Girls 2010

Morgan, Annie & Natalie

Natalie Hedelius

Girls State was awesome! I was able to go and learn more about how our government works on large scale, and small.

It was so much fun, and I was able to learn how I can help in my community. I learned how to be a better speaker, get out of my shell, and have fun. The girls were so nice, and Matheson City rocked!

I am so glad that I was able to attend girls state as a representative from Spanish Fork, and learn more about my country, and gain an even greater feeling of patriotism.

I am so excited for the next group of girls that get to go, and be led by the new Girls State Governor, Liz Layton. It will be great.

Morgan Alger

During Girls State I had the opportunity to learn so much but what benefited me most was the chances I had to be more outgoing meet new people and to run for offices, to do things outside of my comfort zone.

My most favorite part of girls state was the patriotic presentations and atmosphere that was constantly felt. I loved being around girls who had such a love for their country and our freedoms. We also were able to attend a retirement of the flag ceremony, which was amazing I had never seen something like it. I loved seeing all the little old veterans retiring the flag, they were just so cute. That ceremony is something that I will never forget.

I had an amazing time and so much fun. I learned so much about our country and government. I found new interest and new friends. I learned about other people and religions and I even learned something new about myself. Girls State is something I will always remember.

Annie Morris

Girls' State was more than I expected. When I put in an application to go, I had the slightest idea of what Girls' State was. Once I had an interview and checked out the blog that was created I became more informed and excited to be a part of this wonderful program. And even after going and being a part of Utah Girls' State I am still excited and thankful for the opportunity that Girls' State created for me.

The bus ride down to SUU was the first time to meet new girls and make new friends. I had a few bags of candy to share and I enjoyed sharing them with friends the whole week at Girls' State. No one really knew exactly what was just about to hit them so we were all on the same page and could relate to each other in that way.

From 6:00 in the morning 'till 10:00 at night all the girls were going, going, going. ('Cept in my dorm we didn't end our nights 'till about 12:30 :P). We had meetings, songs, meals, speakers, news, candy, and lots of fun all day, every day. I think one of my favorite things to do was to sing to the boys around campus. The summer games were going on on campus so there were handfuls of boys everywhere you would go. We weren't allowed to talk to them but we were allowed to sing to them a very funny song we learned called "Girls, Girls, Girls". Some of the boys thought we were a little crazy but others would ask us to sing to them. It was pretty great :).

During Girls' State I learned a lot of new things about our government and how things work. The City Mayor, a sheriff, Utah's Attorney General, someone in charge of a campaign committee, and lots of other speakers came to talk to us about their jobs and gave us some words of encouragement. I learned how the voting process works and how the Senate passes bills. We also had a mock trial and a lot of party caucus meetings. Those were really fun to be a part of.

I'm glad I had the chance to go to Girls' State and have an experience that I'll never forget. For all those girls who will have this opportunity next year, I encourage all of you to go for it! Even if you're not really interested in the government and/or politics, Girls' State is a great informative program and also a great place to meet friends for a lifetime.

Girls State Training Section 5

Girls State is an invaluable experience! To help you on your way we hope this next section will help you out in the future.

Resume workbook
This is a workbook put together for high school students. I thought it might help you begin your resume for college and scholarships. This is just a starting point. You may find better resources online or from your high school counseling office.

Professional Dress
Here are some tips for dressing for interviews.

Interviewing Skills
In this document there are several tips for doing well in interviews.

Getting Started with College
This website is very informative! Check it out!

Memorial Day and Poppies

We would like to invite you to the
Spanish Fork Cemetery on Thursday, May 26th at 3pm
to place poppies on the white crosses that are placed there in remembrance of our fallen soldiers from the area. This is a great opportunity of service.

We will also be giving you each poppies while you are at the cemetery to distribute the weekend of Memorial Day. We, as a an organization, ask for contributions from those who we distribute poppies to. We do not sell the poppies. Can you buy and sell freedom and the sacrifice of our soldiers? If people ask you how much they are you can ask how much their freedom is worth!

Our poppies are made by our disabled veterans and all contributions go back to them. We need all of you to distribute poppies. Before you get on the bus for Girls State we will need all the money back in.


Please read this short history of the Memorial Poppy

Girls State Training Section 4

Let's get ready for Girls State!

I found Michigan's Girls State manual and thought it would give you a good idea of what is expected of you.

Michigan Girls State Manual
Pages that I thought were most relevant/helpful: 9, 15, 28-33, A-1 through A-5.

Packing List
A packing list for you to use in your preparation for Girls State!