Three Moapa Valley High School girls attended Nevada Girls State in Reno and Carson City on June 7-11. Based on their involvement in leadership and exemplary academic performance, Eva Chidester, Danielle Swanson, and Haley Causey were selected to participate in the program.

The week-long Girls State program gives young ladies who have just completed their junior year in high school the opportunity to study local, county, and state government processes. Approximately 115 girls in represented Nevada at the conference, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary.

After being divided into two political parties, the citizens held elections to fill city and state positions. Operating under a two party system, a governor, senators, and assemblywomen were elected to carry out government processes according to the laws of Nevada. Elected officials were required to perform the duties of their respective offices.

Nevada Attorney General, Catherine Cortez Masto, was a featured guest speaker at the camp. Other activities during the week included legislative sessions, campaigning, party rallies, debating, and voting, which all led up to the main event: a mock legislative session in Carson City. Delegates were asked to write a resolution to present at the legislative session. They received strict guidelines for writing the resolutions. For instance, the resolution had to be on a subject that is of interest to and only affects Nevadans. An example of a state problem would be water issues while a community issue may be traffic problems.

Although the students were on a tight schedule, they did find some time to relax and play. Causey said, “Before we left for Carson City, we had great time swimming at Lake Tahoe.”

Causey said the highlight of the trip was the mock legislative session, “It is an incredibly long process passing a bill into law.” Addressing a popular misconception, she added, “I learned that people in higher government positions don’t have all the authority. A governor can veto a bill, but it can still be passed into law.”

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