Delegates elected their peers to the State Senate on Tuesday, June 1, as part of the 80th annual session of the leadership and civic engagement Arkansas Boys State program, which is sponsored by the Arkansas American Legion. The mock government structure that delegates build at Arkansas Boys State includes eight counties, each of which elected three State Senators.
State Senators spent the morning of Friday, June 4, in legislative committee meetings with legislators from the Arkansas House of Representatives to discuss legislative issues and the legislative process. The following delegates were elected to the State Senate.
State Senate:
Jaxson Adams, Lakeside School District (Garland)
Garrett Cartwright, Harrison High School Conversion Charter
Le’marion Danner, Hot Springs
Xavier Davis, Fayetteville
Zac Day, Jonesboro
Ryan Espejo, Springdale High School
Mohammad Faiq, Arkadelphia
Daniel Golden, Nettleton
Jacob Holmes, Rector
Anderson Jones, Arkadelphia
Esteban Lamas, Joe T. Robinson High School
Landon Langston, El Dorado
Roddy Little, Arkansas Arts Academy
Stephen Munson, Episcopal Collegiate School
Caden Paul, Bentonville West
Kory Putnam, Maumelle High School
Russell Rathbun, Greenwood
Lathan Reeves, DeWitt
Simon Reid, Arkansas Connections Academy
Logan Spradlin, Beebe
Ethan Stewart, Trumann
Luis Tejada, England
Nick Thiel, Harrison High School Conversion Charter
Landon Wright, Ashdown
Arkansas Boys State is an immersive program in civics education designed for high school juniors. Since 1940, the week-long camp has transformed the next generation of leaders throughout our state and beyond. These young men have gone on to become state, national, and international leaders, including President Bill Clinton, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty, Senator Tom Cotton, Senator John Boozman, and Arkansas Chief Justice John Dan Kemp — just to name a few.
During their week at Arkansas Boys State, delegates are assigned a political party, city, and county. Throughout the week, delegates, from the ground up, administer this mock government as if it were real: they run for office, draft and pass legislation, solve municipal challenges, and engage constituents. By the week’s end, the delegates have experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand while making life-long memories and friends — all with our guiding principle that “Democracy Depends on Me.”