Mount Everett High School - Aurigan Yearbook (Sheffield, MA)

Page 22 text:

GOING AWAY Tania Shiminski: wonderful opportunity 1976 Girls State by Tania Shiminski This past June I had the wonderful opportunity to be Sheffield's American Legion Post's representative to Massa- chusetts Girls State, held at Bridgewater State College .... Not only did I learn about the governmental process of our country, I also came away with that special Girls State enthusiasm Cimpossible to describel and countless new friends. Upon my arrival, I was handed a blue beanie Cwhich I was to wear at all times under pain of deathl. This color represented the National Party which I was a member of. At first the idea of wearing a beanie seemed silly, but as the week progressed, we were proud to wear them. There were four towns and four cities in Girls State. I was a member of the town of Democracy, along with twenty- seven other friendly girls. Our first assignment as a town was to elect town officials. I was elected to the position of town auditor. As town auditor, my only responsibility was to write a report for our annual town report. We were then separated into our two parties, national and Federal. The party chairmen were chosen along with the rest of the committees. The next task was to choose our candidates for govern r, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, and attorney general. Following these nominations, the campaigning began. As it turned out, our party's candidate for governor was in my town and in the room next to me. Because of this, I became involved in our campaigning. The night before the elec- tions, the candidates gave speeches. It was a good opportu- nity to get to know the candidates. Election day dawned with a huge rally in the gym, campaigning with songs and chants and cheers. Wednesday, when the votes were tallied, the girl from our town, Roxanne Szettella, became the 1976 Girls State governor. All of us shared Roxie's excitement, and we had a huge party afterward. In our towns we next elected our representatives to the Senate and the House of Representatives .... The next phase began with our running the government. The House and the Senate organized and began debate on the five bills which had been written by Girls Staters .... The pace that was set for us was very fast-moving and busy .... Along with . . . running a government, we had many auditorium sessions Cwithl guest speakers who talked to us about government and topics that were of interest in our state and to us .... Many of the speakers' primary messages were for women to get involved in politics and in our state legislature. They explained the opportunities that women have in today's government .... Before ending I would like to share a fellow girls stater's impression of Girls State: The most important thing real- ized at Girls State, if not realized before, is there are many opportunities opening up for us, and there are more to come in the future .... Learning by doing . . . made our stay at Girls State a memorable one .... It was exhausting for some of us, but we benefited from our experiences and are grateful for having been given the chance to participate in the activities.

Page 21 text:

Qui? ' -Q. wg lf?-T? ,J 4 r U - . A - 'X p 'C

Page 23 text:

ls. . Lynn Pino - Perhaps a future competitor? A Spring OEA Trip by Dina LoNano We arrived at the bus stop at approximately 9:30 A.M. The bus drivers decided since there were so many people on the other bus, we would have our own private bus. The bus driver placed our baggage in the compartment below the bus and the ten of us filed onto the bus. The ride lasted about four hours. In that time I attempt- ed to write a letter to a friend, but every time I put my pen to the paper, the bus would go around a curve or hit a bump. I very quickly gave up that idea and found it more satisfying to chat with Rose. When we finally got to the motel, it took us some time to check in and get settled. The room was really nice and clean. I shared a double room with two other girls .... Early the next morning we got up and dressed. Then we went down and ate a light breakfast. As the hours went by, it came close to the time I would have to go for the shorthand exam. I was the only one left with a test ahead of me. About an hour before the test, I asked someone to help me warm up for the test. But no book was to be found, and there was no way to warm up. This annoyed me. Finally, I walked to the testing room and sat down with some other girls. We got our papers and pens ready while the lady told us the directions. The dictation was totally different from anything I was taught or accustomed to. After the five letters were dictated and everyone started to translate, I decided that my prep- aration had not been adequate. I quietly got up and walked out. I was very disappointed, but there was nothing that could be done about it .... I wasn't going to-think about it any more, and I was determined to enjoy the rest of the trip. That night there was going to be entertainment by a group called The Great Rubber Bandfi When Rose and I saw the name, we decided it would be a total waste of time. We were very wrong. We went to see what they would be like. They started playing at nine and didn't stop until one. They were really fantastic - not only as performers but as people. Twelve o'clock the next day, everyone assembled for the awards banquet. The atmosphere was full of excitement and hope. Each school sat at separate tables. Most of the groups, especially the potential award winners, thoroughly enjoyed their excitement. Our group tended to be very calm and mature-acting, perhaps because no one was likely, this time, to win an award. As I look back on that OEA trip, I think of things that need to be done next time in order to compete more strong- ly. We will need to know what is expected of us, what we need to do to prepare, what types of preparation are most worthwhile, what levels of competency are required, and what materials we need to take with us. We also need the moral support and encouragement of the school. For this trip, I don't think half the school even knew we went or what it was about. As in other types of competition, a little cheering from the school being repre- sented provides a great boost for the competitors.