Iola and Colony youths were among 405 young men from across the state who participated in the 2019 American Legion Boys State of Kansas Leadership Academy.
Attending from Iola were Eason Cheung, who served as a Department of Economy official, and Shane Winner, who was a Kennedy County representative. Attending from Colony was Gregory Hardwick, who served as a councilman for the city of Spigarelli. All participants will enter their senior year of high school this fall.
The event, which concluded its 82nd year, was June 3-8 at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
Boys State offers participants an opportunity to develop problem-solving skills through leadership and teamwork.
The weeklong project is a learning by doing political exercise that simulates elections, political parties and government at the state, county and local levels, providing opportunities to lead under pressure, showcasing character and working effectively within a team.
