By Santiago Barrientos
Texas Boys State Press Corps
On June 8th, statesmen get the first taste of fatigue as they wake up at 6 a.m. after staying up late as they voted for Mayor, Color Guard, Olympiad Director, as well as Press Corps members.
They line up by cities to get the first taste of breakfast here at Jester Center Cafeteria, eager to start their first day. After eating, the statesmen are led to their Precinct Convention meeting to listen to their respective party's House and Senate speeches.
By 9:30 a.m. the statesmen meet as counties to elect their party voting delegates, and begin to form their state party convention. Lunch offers the statesmen a break from the intense schedule and lets them talk about their long day so far with their own party members as well as boys from the opposing party.
By 12:00 p.m. the first elections of 2015 are held for House and Senate, only making the statesmen more and more anxious and excited for the night to come. However, before any elections are finalized, and all politics are set aside, and statesmen head up to their dorms to prepare for recreational period. City after city line up at Clark Field to do the famous "Face-off," where they chant, hoot, and holler at the top of their lungs showing their pride for their city.
And the games begin! 1 p.m. marks the beginning of the 2015 Texas Boys State City Olympiad, where statesmen can take part in either basketball, dodgeball, or a 7 on 7 football game. Statesmen also took part in the Boys State Band, ran stories for the Press Corps, or participated on some campus tours that allowed them to see a lot of UT.
After all the fun activities, the statesmen go to their rooms to change and head down for the daily flag lowering ceremony, where the Color Guard lowers the American flag and the band pridefully accompanies the statesmen in the Texas Boy State Song.
The final meal of the day comes and everyone is either ready for bed or excited about the general assembly, or both! With great privilege, statesmen rush from dinner to attend a meeting with visiting dignitaries.
Finally, everyone meets up at the LBJ auditorium for the first General Assembly. We were fortunate to have special guest former CIA officer Jim Olson, professor at The Bush School of Government and Public Service, speak to us about commitment and dedication to everything we do in life.
The night was topped off with House and Senate election results, as well as final meetings by both parties that lasted well into the night.
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