Recently, Macks Creek high school juniors Israel Husong, Brooklyn Green, and Ella Marshall spent a week at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO, participating in the American Legion Missouri Boys State (MBS) and the American Legion’s Auxiliary Missouri Girls State (ALA MGS). Both of these youth leadership programs provide participants with the opportunity to learn about how the State of Missouri functions by engaging in a mock government. Macks Creek School extends its sincere gratitude to the Zack Wheat American Legion Post 624 in Camdenton for generously providing scholarships for our students to attend!
Both Boys State and Girls State hold a deep-rooted tradition within Missouri. Boys State was founded in 1938, while the American Legion Auxiliary Missouri Girls State (ALA MGS) held its inaugural session in 1940. ALA MGS has assembled every summer since its inception, with cancellations occurring only during World War II and the COVID pandemic—a history shared by Boys State. In 2022, ALA MGS relocated its event to Lindenwood University, establishing a co-hosting partnership with Boys State. During this year’s record setting sessions 830 young ladies and 875 young men successfully completed the program. To discover more about ALA MGS, please click here, and to find additional information about MBS, click here.
Israel Husong discussed his action-packed week at Boys State. "I started my week joining Clark City of Barton County with the goal of becoming Attorney General," Israel explained. "On the first day, I filled out the forms and started gathering signatures, but honestly, not much got done that first day." Things shifted on day two, however, when he spoke with his city councilor. "I learned that the actual Attorney General would be focused on campaigning all week and wouldn't be filling the duties I wanted to perform. It turned out the Deputy Attorney General role was where the action was."
With support from his city members, Israel was appointed Deputy Attorney General that second day. "I immediately started defending the government from lawsuits and weeding out corruption within the governor's office," he said. The role kept him busy, but it was just one part of the experience. "My city had multiple meetings throughout the day to form our government and build bonds. I also became the county representative for the Federalist party." He leveraged his position to create strategic relationships between cities. "Clark City helped promote Doniphan City to win both the airport and data center in exchange for financial compensation. Even though Doniphan ended up winning Model City, we didn't care—we just became close friends."
When asked about his legal work, Israel highlighted how he kept things moving: "By the end of the week, I stopped dozens of lawsuits to keep the government running, negotiated a contract to break up a real estate monopoly that was causing unfair pricing, and worked with the highway patrol to expose a corrupt gaming commissioner who was only issuing licenses to his own city." He was proud of his strategy: "I managed to wrap up all those cases before the actual Attorney General took office, leaving him with a clean slate. I settled everything outside of court using legal precedents and loopholes to get the other parties to agree to my terms."
For Israel, the most memorable moment wasn't a legal victory, but the camaraderie. "My final night was my favorite part," he shared. "All the members of my city gathered in the city hall past midnight to share personal stories and pray for each other. We even started a city group chat to make sure every citizen has the whole city to back them up, no matter how many years pass or what trouble we might face."
Brooklyn Green spent an enjoyable week in Rauch Memorial Hall as a citizen of Cronin City in Dewitt County. She said the girls of her city bonded immediately, calling themselves the Cronin Queens. Her connections in her city landed her the appointed position of Municipal Court Clerk.
Brooklyn wasn’t interested in running for many offices, but fully participated in the fun of campaigning for citizens in her political party, the Federalists. She appeared in several campaign social media videos for the candidates in her party. The Lieutenant Governor for the 2026 session was from Brooklyn’s city, and Brooklyn gladly campaigned for her. Brooklyn’s enthusiasm for her city, county, and party caught the attention of her counselors. Because of this, she was asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance during the closing ceremony for the citizens of ALA MGS and their families. She said this was a huge honor. She didn’t tell her family, and they were all surprised to see her seated on stage along with the Lindenwood University president, the 2026 session Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and the president of the Missouri American Legion Auxiliary.
When not campaigning, Brooklyn attended classes in the school of education where she learned how laws and legislation impact teachers and students. She also attended several joint sessions with the Missouri Boy State citizens where they met several state leaders and national speakers. She attended a joint session where 49 people from across the United States became U.S. citizens. She said her favorite joint session was getting to see Martin Luther King III speak about how his dad’s legacy affected him and the world.
When asked what the best thing about MGS was, Brooklyn said, “getting to meet so many different people and attending MGS with my best friend, Ella, even though we rarely saw each other the whole week.” Brooklyn also shared that her brother (2024) and her mother (2001) were all federalists when they attended MGS/MBS. Brooklyn has applied to be a junior counselor for next year’s session and hopes to be a counselor in future sessions.
Ella Marshall also had a rewarding experience at ALA MGS. Throughout the week, she saw firsthand what it means to be an engaged citizen while building friendships with young women from across the state. As a citizen of Adreon, Ella embraced every opportunity to participate in city, county, and party activities. From attending government meetings and learning parliamentary procedure to supporting fellow citizens during campaigns and elections, she enjoyed seeing how every role contributed to the success of the Girls State government.
Ella shared, “The fast-paced environment challenged me to step outside my comfort zone while developing my confidence, leadership, and teamwork skills.” Ella participated in the journalism school of instruction and attended several joint assemblies with Missouri Boys State, where students heard from elected officials, military leaders, and nationally recognized speakers. One of the most memorable moments of the week was attending the naturalization ceremony in which 49 individuals officially became United States citizens. She also found Martin Luther King III’s presentation especially meaningful as he shared stories about his father’s legacy and encouraged students to become leaders in their own communities.
Reflecting on her experience, Ella said, “Missouri Girls State helped me grow as a leader and gave me a greater understanding of government, civic responsibility, and the importance of serving others.” Beyond the educational experiences, Ella said, “The friendships I made were what truly made the week unforgettable.” Living, learning, and working alongside girls from different backgrounds gave her a new appreciation for collaboration and public service. She returned home with lasting friendships, newfound confidence, and memories she will carry with her for years to come.
Macks Creek School is proud of Ella, Brooklyn and Israel. Congratulations on being selected to attend ALA MGS and MBS this year and thank you for making the most of the experience. Again, Macks Creek School extends its sincere gratitude to the Zack Wheat American Legion Post 624 in Camdenton for generously providing scholarships for our students to attend annually!
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