Holden of Benton High School selected for Boys Nation in D.C.

Tanner Holden of Benton from Benton High School was elected by his peers at Arkansas Boys State to attend Boys Nation in Washington DC. Holden was one of just two students from Arkansas Boys State elected to represent the state at the national program sponsored by the American Legion. He will join representatives from 49 other states at Boys Nation from July 21-29.

According to the American Legion website, "Two representatives from each of the 49 Boys States represent their state at Boys Nation in Washington, where the young leaders receive an education on the structure and function of federal government."

More than 470 of the state's brightest young men attended Arkansas Boys State, an immersive leadership and civic engagement experience sponsored by the American Legion. This summer's 82nd annual session ran May 28 through June 2 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

During their week at Arkansas Boys State, these students, known as "delegates," were assigned a political party, city, and county. Throughout the week, delegates, from the ground up, administered this mock government as if it were real: they ran for office, drafted and passed legislation, solved municipal challenges, and engaged constituents. By the week's end, the delegates experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand while making life-long memories and friends.