VOLUME 77, ISSUE 3

MAY 28TH, 2019

We all want to be successful in all our future en-

deavors. I mean, if we did not, we would not be here

at Girls State. Today we had the pleasure of listening

to Sarah Brown’s “30: Etiquette Tips” address. Not only

was Brown such an enthusiastic and passionate speak-

er, but she provided us with vital life skills to take

home. These skills will not only help us succeed in

landing a job or being accepted into college in the

near future, but if we choose to practice her advice in

our daily lives, we will become more educated, well-

rounded leaders.

Personally, three tips from Brown’s speech spoke

volumes to me. The tips spoke so much volume to me

that I feel the need to recap them for you all so that

they are written down for us to come back to when

needed. I hope that this will not only help someone

achieve their goal, but ultimately succeed in life.

Tip #1 - HAVE A STRATEGY, NOT JUST A GOAL. For

my entire life I have held many goals, and yes, I have

built strategies for some of them, but definitely not all.

So many of us have goals — one even may have been

to become an Oklahoma Girls State delegate. And

look, we accomplished that. We accomplished this

goal by becoming involved in our respective schools,

communities, and exemplifying the necessary leader-

ship qualities to succeed in this setting. We all have

successfully completed this goal by utilizing our

own strategies. So take this as an example to

build upon when moving forward in all of your

future endeavors.

Tip #2 - SHOWCASE YOUR STORY. Now this

is something that we have all heard before;

however, we have especially heard it here this

week. We all bring something unique to the

table. Not one of us is the same. Find what

makes you the most diverse and use it to your

advantage. We each have a unique perspective

and outlook on the world, and we should em-

brace, celebrate, and showcase it to everyone

we meet.

Tip #3 - USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge

is power. Business etiquette may only occupy a

small part of our brains now, but it is still there. We are

now properly educated and it would be selfish of us to

keep it hidden. As Brown discussed, we have learned,

and will continue to learn so much at Girls State this

week. It is our duty to use our knowledge for good, for

the better, to help establish a well-rounded society.

This includes sharing about business etiquette. I am

sure we all feel we could have benefitted from all of

Brown’s tips at least once in our lives. I know I defi-

nitely could have used her advice. And I bet we all

wish someone would have told us these tips prior to

attending a job, or admissions interview, or whatever it

may be. So, why would we want to harbor our

knowledge and not share it with others who could

benefit from these tips?

Now as one can see, these are not the only steps for

success, but I do feel that they are vital components.

All of Brown’s tips should not only help us be more

comfortable and likely to fulfill our dreams, but we

should be equipped with the foundation to expand

and share our knowledge with the world. Oklahoma is

a beautiful state with an abundance on opportunities

for us to take part in, and with a special thanks to Sa-

rah Brown, we are all more equipped than ever to suc-

ceed in any endeavor our heart desires.

-Chelbie Turtle, Demke City

Steps for Success

Page 2 The Girls Stater

Here at Girls State, we deeply value each and every one of our delegates’ future plans. Spring-boarding girls into success through opportunities at Girls State is vitally im-portant to the experience of the week itself. There are many chances for our delegates to involve themselves in activities that will posi-tively affect their futures, such as running for offices, campaigning, discovering interests in government, and engaging with other dele-gates; however, there is one more opportuni-ty our delegates are provided with that may not be as familiar to others.

All girls that attend the Oklahoma Girls State Auxiliary session are given the prestig-ious opportunity to take an online American Government course. Our delegates were for-tunate enough to hear from Tyler Johnson, the University of Oklahoma’s Associate Pro-fessor and Director of Graduate Studies and Political Science, about this course our dele-gates are available to take. Johnson is actual-ly the designer of this American Government class, and had many positive aspects about this course to discuss with our girls.

Johnson made it very clear that there are three major, valuable lessons girls can take away from this course, if they choose to do so. First, delegates who take this online class are getting a taste of a college-level, General Education class. Students will experience what classes at the University of Oklahoma consist of, and will actually be taking the ex-

act same class as the undergraduates from the university. Johnson also emphasized his pas-sion for American Government, and strongly encouraged girls to consider taking his class to improve their writing and research skills about government in general.

Second, delegates who take this online class will get a jumpstart to their college credit hours. American Government is a required General Education class for all majors, so tak-ing this course will allow the girls to go into college with at least 3 credit hours. This class is also being offered at a lower cost to all Girls State delegates, resulting in delegates only paying fees for this course.

Lastly, Tyler strongly emphasized that taking this online class will help girls expand their week at Girls State. By choosing to take this American Government class, girls can stay con-nected to other delegates, all while strength-ening their relationships with one another through learning about our government sys-tem.

We are very thankful our Girls State dele-gates are fortunate enough to be offered such an awesome opportunity through the Universi-ty of Oklahoma. It is our biggest desire to con-tinue to support our delegates as they begin their future success!

- Tayten Lierle, Bonham City

Getting a Head Start

After a full morning at Girls State, we had the honor of having a very important guest

speaker. Former Governor George Nigh spend his 69th year at Girls State making us all

laugh. He was full of wonderful stories and jokes that helped us understand his message.

Oklahoma is full of outstanding people that can accomplish anything. We have plenty of

accomplished people like Will Rogers, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, and of course

President of the Street Sweepers Association: George Nigh. We learned so many wonderful things from Gover-

nor Nigh like how “Oklahoma!” became the state song. On top of that, he serenaded us which was pretty cool.

He was definitely a wonderful speaker.

-Bayleigh Hudgens, Erwin City

Page 3 Volume 77, Issue 3

Our 17th Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell graced the Girls State delegates with his presence and words of encouragement. Lt. Governor Pinnell came with a message on his mind and strongly in-fluenced the girls with his impactful words about Oklahoman involvement. He focused on empower-ing young women to step up to the plate and the bright future of our emerging generation. While he empowered us, he also wanted to make us more aware of the problems our state faces and how to fix them. So often Oklahomans see the problems of our state but never take action to fix it. I believe it is not only our responsibility as delegates but a message to all Oklahomans. Lt. Governor Pinnell stated, “The world is controlled by those who show up.” Oklahomans and fellow delegates, it is our job to step up and start controlling the out-come of our state’s status. Some main points he touched on as a solution were to lead by example, to not be afraid to step up, to stand up for what you believe in, to develop a passion and let that passion lead you, to fall in love with your state, and lastly to take pride in our great State of Oklahoma. I wholeheartedly believe our state is full of pas-sionate, driven, and proud Oklahomans, and it is time we see a fire ignite in the pride we take in this promising state. Often we focus on the negative of our state, the positive that has already taken place, and the positive possibilities. So Oklahomans and Girls State delegates, Lt. Governor Pinnell strongly believed, “Your positive energy must win the day.” Take that positive energy and make Oklahoma a top ten state. -Chloe Zickefoose, Heil City

Page 4 The Girls Stater

Conventions were today. Oh, the joy of it all! I know many of you might have thought of it all to be slow and tedious, but they were very necessary and, in the end, exciting! County Conven-tion started the day with charis-ma and charm. Many delegates stood up in front of their peers to face one of the highest ranked fears in the world: pub-lic speaking. Afterword, offi-cials took their Oaths of Office during assembly. District Con-vention was also a blast as the Boomer and Sooner parties di-vided and conquered their com-petition and their fears. In my convention, I noticed some

spots were going unfiled and unfilled; this was honestly a little heartbreaking. Some-times the plain intimidation of standing in front of a group of 17-year-olds can be overwhelming, and this is completely un-derstandable. However, I believe our be-liefs beat fear in the game of life. By the time the convention was over, we had our candidates for tomorrow. Good luck, girls!

-Cassidy Edsall, Deutser City

Filing Phobias

If you are like me, you miss your

family. Currently it is day three of

Girls State. Family is definitely an

important part of my life and as

much as I love having the slightest

bit of freedom, I love my family

more. So to all the families out there

I hope you are missing all of us as

much as we miss you. <3

-Bayleigh Hudgens, Erwin City

Love You Mom

(and Dad I Guess)

Be Brave, Be Authentic

All Girls State delegates received the amazing opportunity to witness

Sarah Brown’s presentation on etiquette tonight. If you are anything

like me, you did not really know what you were going to sit in on this

evening. If the presentation did not grab your attention, Brown’s en-

thusiasm certainly did. I found her spirit and morale about Girls State

inspiring and it made me want to turn all of my focus on her. She

spoke with such passion towards us all, making it even easier to pay

attention and dive deeper. And that is certainly what seemed to be

going on in the forum building. If you looked around, everyone was

busy writing down the millions of helpful tips to improve our future

goals.

If you did not take notes or took very little, here is a brief overview of

the presentation. Brown started off with a list of “Interpersonal Skills.” In

summary, the skills talked about were: communication, relationship,

and good manners. She asked if we had goals and if we did, to think

about those goals we wish to achieve in the next three years. She

then proceeded to say this very mind-boggling quote, “have a strate-

gy to reach your goals.” In the interview portion of the presentation,

Brown gave such helpful information on how to act in a formal job/

college interview. When going into an interview, you should tell your

story because your words matter. That is what the potential boss or

college is looking for. They want to know all about you. I found the

Receptionist Test very surprising. I have never heard of being asked if

you knew the receptionist’s name, so I would keep this in the back of

your mind when going into your next interview!

Watch what you post! This is one of the most important factors when

thinking about your future job and college. What you post reflects so

much about you as a person and one little thing that you post can

change the decision-making process. If you have been listening to

the girls running for office, almost the same thing comes up in every

speech. “Empowered women empower women.” Although we are

hearing it often, it is something all of us need to be reminded of and

that is exactly what Brown ended with. Thank you, Sarah Brown, for

such an amazing presentation and for your willingness to come and

help us be the empowering women we all wish to be.

-Zoey Russell, Densmore City

Page 5 The Girls Stater

County: O’Leary Associate District Judge: Julie Brydon Court Clerk: Liberty Murray County Clerk:Julia Menary County Sheriff: Sterling Sisovsky County Treasurer: Cara York County Assessor: MaKayla Augustine Commissioner No. 1: Macey Crawley Commissioner No. 2: Ryleigh Clinton Commissioner No. 3: Shalei Okamura State Representative 1: Katie Hallum State Representative 2: Kate McQuay State Representative 3: Nadia Valles State Representative 4: Mariana Gonzalez State Representative 5: Fiza Sheikh State Representative 6: Taylor Alford State Representative 7: Beyonce Hammond State Representative 8: Mandy Sykora State Representative 9: Kennedy Cramer State Representative 10: Alisha Arshad State Representative 11: Tayten Lierle State Representative 12: Jennifer Beebe State Senator 1: Lavender Cisneros State Senator 2: Madeline Nelson State Senator 3: Shayley Satterfield State Senator 4: Lauren Rocco State Senator 5: Callee Lester County: Wood Associate District Judge: Raylee Conn Court Clerk: Elizabeth Surratt County Clerk: Makinley Kennedy County Sheriff: Kelsey Raney County Treasurer: Jaycie Cash County Assessor: Alexis Hope Commissioner No. 1: Bailee Nguyen Commissioner No. 2: Liliana Rojas Commissioner No. 3: Barbara Bacon State Representative 1: Bethany Killer State Representative 2: Molly Blackley State Representative 3: Sophie Fosmire State Representative 4: Karleigh Ramirez State Representative 5: Austin Haddock State Representative 6: Isabella Cruz State Representative 7: Amal Jamshed State Representative 8: Nivedita Jayaseker State Representative 9: Kimrey Klamm State Representative 10: Leah Lunsford State Representative 11: Naomi Wharry State Representative 12: Sarah Wilihoite State Senator 1: Jaylynn Cross State Senator 2: Hannah Hartman State Senator 3: McCall Stephens State Senator 4: Michelle Taffe State Senator 5: Paetyn Goodell

County Election Results

County: Shaw Associate District Judge: Gentry Cox Court Clerk: Emily Cusack County Clerk: Lindsay Hollis County Sheriff: Korinna Renteria County Treasurer: Rylee Roberts County Assessor: Cameron Duncan Commissioner No. 1: Kalli McSperitt Commissioner No. 2: Hallee Hammons Commissioner No. 3: Molly Bryant State Representative 1: Carmen Chapa State Representative 2: Whitney Dye State Representative 3: Kirby Snow State Representative 4: Mary Harrison State Representative 5: Leah Sheffield State Representative 6: Dawsyn Case State Representative 7: Aurora Anna Campbell State Representative 8: Alex McClure State Representative 9: Maddie Wilhite State Representative 10: Victoria Wells State Representative 11: Brianna Spady State Representative 12: Skye Martinez State Senator 1: Taylory White State Senator 2: Grace Neely State Senator 3: Davin-Lee Chavez State Senator 4: Maylee Clark State Senator 5: Lauren Wilcox County: Stinson Associate District Judge: Delaynie Peters Court Clerk: Amiya Denadrai County Clerk: Brylee Thiel County Sheriff: Lila Sherman County Treasurer: Gracie Hightower County Assessor: Jaden Brunnemer Commissioner No. 1: Haylie Thompson Commissioner No. 2: Kathryn George Commissioner No. 3: Skylar Cox State Representative 1: Madison Mullennix State Representative 2: Victoria Gerken State Representative 3: Charlotte Mancino State Representative 4: Iris Borunda State Representative 5: Hallee Parker State Representative 6: Alyssa Fowler State Representative 7: Grace Heefner State Representative 8: Bella Baker State Representative 9: Abigail Boyer State Representative 10: Kelby Carlson State Representative 11: Elizabeth Marble State Representative 12: Lauren Paque State Senator 1: Meghan Landers State Senator 2: Tori Booker State Senator 3: Emily Murphey State Senator 4: Clair Levesque State Senator 5: Sunny Crawford

THE GIRLS STATER

Akin City Mayor: Karsyn McDaniel Council Member NO 1: Meaghan Cur Council Member NO 2: Kylie Gallegos Council Member NO 3: Calle Lester Council Member NO 4: Lavendar Ciseros City Manager: Bradleigh Baker City Judge: Julie Brycloh City Attorney: Brooks Langham City Clerk: Aspen Frost City Treasurer: Jordan Collie Police Chief: Katie Hallum Fire Chief: Sterling Sisovsky Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Katie McQuay Street Commissioner: Delani Seals Emergency Management Director: Haley McNutt City Reporter: Nadia Valles Blosch City

Mayor: Lauren Rocco

Council Member NO. 1: Cassidy Spears Council Member NO. 2: Shalei Okamura Council Member NO. 3: Sarah Rice

Council Member NO. 4: Makayla Augustine City Manager: Alexia Brown City Judge: Julie Dawkins City Attorney: Cloe Campfield City Clerk: Yazaret Gamez City Treasurer: Brooklynn Kimble Police Chief: Rylee Vanaman

Fire Chief: Abigail Richardson Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Kayla Cupples Street Commissioner: Gissel Ruiz

Emergency Management Director: Lexi Tusek

City Reporter: Jentry Squires

Bonham City

Mayor: Maggi Dansby Council Member NO. 1: Taylor Alford Council Member NO. 2: Jasmine Warriner Council Member NO. 3: Olivia Mckinnis Council Member NO. 4: Macey Crawley City Manager: Taylor Spence City Judge: Brittney Banh City Attorney: Ava Olmedo City Clerk: Anne Sullivan City Treasurer: Cara York Police Chief: Ashley Peterson Fire Chief: Shelby Aery

Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Shayley Satterfield Street Commissioner: Julia Cabello Emergency Management Director: Kennedy Cramer City Reporter: Tayten Lierle

Chinn City

Mayor: Jessica Flusche Council Member NO. 1: Lilly-Anna Van Goal Council Member NO. 2: Bailee Lawson

Council Member NO. 3: Cameron Freeland

Council Member NO. 4: Brooke Jones

City Manager: Olivia Ballard

City Judge: Kayden King

City Attorney: Alish Arshad

City Clerk: Mandy Sykara City Treasurer: Alyssa Van Worth

Police Chief: Sydnee Martin Fire Chief: Ryleigh Clinton

Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Ashlyn Orr

Street Commissioner: Jennifer Beebe

Emergency Management Director: Barbi Patrick

City Reporter: Morgan Dennis

Clingenpeel City Mayor: Isabella Cruz Council Member NO. 1: Sarah McNeil Council Member NO. 2: Tori Linkswiller Council Member NO. 3: Sarai Rose Ladd Council Member NO. 4: Kilah Johnson City Manager: Naomi Whamy City Judge: Hannah Hartman City Attorney: Sydney Adkins City Clerk: Natalie Delatorre City Treasurer: Jaci Cash Police Chief: Sarah Meacham Fire Chief: Addison McGill Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Lauren Weber Street Commissioner: Liliana Rojas Emergency Management Director: Angelina Lindert City Reporter: April Parli

Demke City

Mayor: Kaylyn Raper Council Member NO. 1: Nivedita Jayasekar Council Member NO. 2: Leah Lunsford Council Member NO. 3: Bailee Nguyen

Council Member NO. 4: Elizabeth Surratt City Manager: Brooke Hester City Judge: Gracie Nichols City Attorney: Shelby Bute City Clerk: Jesse Beck

City Elections Results

Page 6

Page 7 Volume 77, Issue 3

Cty Treasurer: Barbara Bacon Police Chief: Kimrey Klamm Fire Chief: Blake Seymour Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Angela Resendiz Street Commissioner: Lilee Brinlee Emergency Management Director: Alexis Hope City Reporter: Chelbie Turtle

Densmore City Mayor: Ellie Throckmorton Council Member NO. 1: Maggie Landers Council Member NO. 2:Mackenzie Ridley Council Member NO. 3: Sophie Fosmire Council Member NO. 4: Madison Dusell City Manager: Austin Haddock City Judge: Raylee Conn City Attorney: Amal Jamshed City Clerk: Rhiannon Reeves City Treasurer: Joslyn Clem Police Chief: Lila Whitten Fire Chief: Amelia Danker Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Jasmine Berry Street Commissioner: Alena Sly Emergency Management Director: Katie Cornelsen City Reporter: Zoey Russell

Deutser City Mayor: Madison Dean Council member NO 1: Alexis McNeill Council Member NO 2: Lynlee Graham Council Member NO 3: Molly Blackley Council Member NO 4: Arielle Harris City Manager: Jenna Gilbertson

City Judge: Cayden Beckner City Attorney: Emily Harfield City Clerk: Makinley Kennedy City Treasurer: Hannah Sapp Police Chief: Madison Stephens Fire Chief: Abigail Anderson Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Bailey Vance Street Commissioner: Maleah Mayfield Emergency Management Director: Macy Treat City Reporter: Cassidy Edsall

Erwin City

Mayor: Grace Bledsoe Council Member NO. 1: Lauren Trinh Council Member NO. 2: Aurora Campbell Council Member NO. 3: Maddie Wilhite

City Elections Results Continued... Council Member NO. 4: Gentry Cox

City Manager: Davin- Lee Chavez

City Judge: Leah Sheffield

City Attorney: Kenzie Lawson City Clerk: Skye Martinez

City Treasurer: Joanna Rivera

Police Chief: Lauren Wilcox

Fire Chief: Alex McClure

Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Kyla Langstraat

Street Commissioner: Mary Harrison

Emergency Management Director: Gabrielle McMahon-Csak City Reporter: Bayleigh Hudgens

Hare City

Mayor: Adyson Blakey

Council Member NO. 1: Lindsay Hollis

Council Member NO. 2 : Halle Hammons

Council Member NO. 3: Lexie Donelson

Council Member NO. 4: Bailee Collins

City Manager: Ella Rose Adams

City Judge: Jane Brown

City Attorney: Dawsyn Case

City Clerk: Rylee Roberts

City Treasurer: Angelina Honse

Police Chief: Morgan Clark

Fire Chief: Raychel Bennett Planning and Zoning Commissioner: Acacia Charles

Street Commissioner: Anna McMurran

Emergency Management Director: Shea Wortham

City Reporter: Paula Najera-Diaz

Harvey City

Mayor: Anoli Billy

Council Member NO. 1: Laramie Coffey

Council Member NO. 2: Ashton Linton

Council Member NO. 3: Priyanka Bhanot

Council Member NO. 4: Leah Evans

City Manager: Maylee Clark

City Judge: Chelsea Clark

City Attorney: Michelle Taylor City Clerk: Jacey Hoy

City Treasurer: Lydia Lytle

Police Chief: Carlie Cordell Fire Chief: Brianna Maguire

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Addison Hunt Street Commissioner: Bronté Smithson

Emergency Management Director: Jaci Coole

City Reporter: Lauren King

The Girls Stater Page 8

Heil City

Mayor: Lanie Varner

Council Member No. 1: Emily Hurst Council Member No. 2: Kenna Lam

Council Member No. 3: Liz Baum

Council Member No. 4: Kalli McSperitt

City Manager: Vivian Taylor City Judge: Paige Farley

City Attorney: Brianna Spady

City Clerk: Kenzie Craighead

City Treasurer: Nishi Gandhi Police Chief: Jasmine Hale

Fire Chief: Reese Roach

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Andie McCullough

Street Commissioner: Celecia Price

Emergency Management Director: Makayla Whittenburg

City Reporter: Chloe Zickefoose

Keister City

Mayor: Sarah Easterly

Council Member No. 1: Jaiden Story

Council Member No. 2: Haylee Steinburg

Council Member No. 3: Jacey Cox

Council Member No. 4: Mary Vang

City Manager: Kayla Landers

City Judge: Emiley Kalk City Attorney: Victoria Gekin

City Clerk: Shaleena Flores

City Treasurer: Emma Weidman

Police Chief: Madison Mallenix

Fire Chief: Emiley Tarr Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Ellery Price

Street Commissioner: Khalia Charquens

Emergency Management Director: Allie Cole

City Reporter: Sunny Crawford Parker City

Mayor: Bella Baker Council Member NO. 1: Madison Hanvey

Council Member NO. 2: Grace Heefner

Council Member NO. 3: Bailey Locklear Council Member NO. 4: Desiree Rickett

City Manager: Alyssa Fowler City Judge: Delaynie Peters

City Attorney: Destiny Gaither

City Clerk: Chloe Offineer City Treasurer: Morgan Britton

Police Chief: Hallie King

Fire Chief: Kamara Lagaly Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Clare Galloway

Street Commissioner: Trinity Evans

Emergency Management Director: Brynlee Thiel City Reporter: Jaden Brunnemer

Reed City

Mayor: Malayna Stober

Council Member NO. 1: Abie Koch Council Member NO. 2: Lily Blodgett

Council Member NO. 3: Gillian Tredgway

Council Member NO. 4: Eden Waggoner

City Manager: Makenna McBride

City Judge: Holli Lindley

City Attorney: Morgan Meyer City Clerk: Megan Greathouse

City Treasurer: Kelby Carlson

Police Chief: Jenna Stacy

Fire Chief: Hannah Vaught Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Iris Borunda

Street Commissioner: Averia Wofford

Emergency Management Director: Jenna Gaches City Reporter: Abigail Boyer

Willits City

Mayor: Tori Booker

Council Member NO. 1: Hailee Parker Council Member NO. 2: Kami Fryer

Council Member NO. 3: Anna Herd

Council Member NO. 4: Paige Henderson

City Manager: Meghan Landers

City Judge: Ashtyn Freeny

City Attorney: Margaret Baysinger City Clerk: Elizabeth Marble

City Treasurer: Lauren Paque

Police Chief: Emily Murphy

Fire Chief: Skylar Cox

Planning & Zoning Commissioner: Kaitlyn Miller Street Commissioner: Morgan Cross

Emergency Management Director: Lauren Selman

City Reporter: Gracie Hightower

City Elections Results Continued...