Berns, Campbell selected to attend Boys State through Harpers Ferry Legion; Gruman selected as volunteer counselor

Two Waukon High School juniors from the Harpers Ferry area, Landon Berns and Jared Campbell, were selected to attend Boys State, which was held June 11-16 at Fort Dodge in Johnston. Berns is the son of Charles and Peggy Berns, and Campbell is the son of Dan and Carolyn Campbell, all of Harpers Ferry.

Both young men were sponsored by Scenic Post 722 American Legion of Harpers Ferry. Iowa conducted its first "Hawkeye Boys State" in 1938 and has held one every year since, with the exception of 1945, when World War II gasoline rationing made it impossible. Hawkeye Boys State is a six-day course in self-government. Participants learned more about the functioning of city, county and state government in the state of Iowa than 75% of the population of Iowa.

The knowledge young men gain will be by actual experience, as Hawkeye Boys State is a complete "hands-on" program. The young men were divided into 32 cities. Four cities constitute a county and eight counties constitute a state. In each city, half of the citizens were named members of the National Party and half were members of the Federalist Party.

Boys State delegates held party caucus meetings and conventions, conducted campaigns, and held a primary and general election. Once the election process was complete those young men elected to office assumed their offices, appointed the necessary staff to assist them in conducting the office, and immediately began to govern in whatever subdivision they had been elected to. As in real life, everyone cannot be elected to office, and everyone does not work for the taxpayers. At Hawkeye Boys State, there were other jobs to be filled.

There was a daily newspaper that required the service of reporters, photographers, editors, cartoonists, layout and copy people, and business management. There was also a fully functioning Court System, General Assembly (House and Senate) and Law Enforcement System. To educate the young men on the process of how schools and school districts in the state of Iowa operate and function, a School Board Section also provided instruction, again through a "hands-on" process, in the business of running Iowa schools.

The staff of over 100 highly motivated and qualified individuals at Hawkeye Boys State were drawn from the Trustees and Commissioners of Hawkeye Boys State, the Iowa Highway Patrol, the agencies of Iowa government, the Iowa National Guard, the U.S. Military Services and Military Academies, professional career fields (lawyers, college admission counselors and teachers) and former Boys State delegates.

Adam Gruman, who attended Boys State last year, volunteered and was selected to be a counselor at Boys State for 2017. He is a 2017 graduate of Waukon High School and is the son of Bernie and Marcia Gruman of Harpers Ferry.