Qualifications

Boys who have completed their Junior year in high school and have at least one semester of high school remaining, are eligible for Boys State. The following general principles should be used as guides in selecting a candidate for Boys State.

Governor Noem addressing the delegation at Boys State

1. Leadership: A boy to be eligible for Boys State should have exhibited traits of leadership in his school and community affairs. Boys State is a leadership exercise and only leaders, or potential leaders, should be selected for Boys State attendance.

2. Scholarship: The candidates should normally be restricted to those boys whose scholastic ranking would place them in the upper third of the boys in their class. Although a high scholastic standing is not necessarily essential to good citizenship, it is felt that such a scholastic rating is important in Boys State so citizens can keep up with the action packed program of the week.

3. Character: Honesty, Cooperation: Only boys with outstanding qualifications in character, honesty, service, initiative, and who have a serious and cooperative attitude toward an intensive citizenship training program should be selected.