Volume 85, Issue 4
Thursday, June 13, 2024
swearing-in ceremony held at Millett Hall
By C.J Bateman
Every year the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) awards one of their members the prestigious title of Trooper of the Year. The award’s recipient is chosen based on qualities such as leadership, accountability, respect, and hardwork.
Perhaps the most important of these qualities as articulated by OSHP Colonel Charles Jones was that of leadership. After his speech at the inauguration Wednesday, Jones spoke his mind on the importance of leadership within the patrol, stating, “Leadership is about building from the start, that's the first line.”
2024 Trooper of the Year Evan Hill dis-
played these qualities to the utmost extent.
“Trooper Hill is the epitome of the Trooper of the Year award. His work ethic, his leadership- he is a trooper that gets the big picture, that's why he got elected,” Colonel Jones stated in his speech to a room full of onlookers at the OSHP Swearing-In Ceremony on Wednesday June, 12., Unusually, this award is nothing new to the Hill family. In 1999 Evan’s father, Marvin Hill, was given the same honour. This marks the first time in state history that a father and son have both received this honor.
When speaking of his achievement, E. (Continued on page 2)
Photo by: Elliot Wall
Does This Quiz Helps Delegates find Closure?
By Jacob Dougherty
American Legion Buckeye Boys State (ALBBS) is a unique experience for many because of its stark difference from other camps or summer programs in Ohio. The program can seem daunting, as it makes participants choose their profession and work towards securing it. Because of this, delegates can get overwhelmed by the vast amount of positions and offices. However, there is a solution that ALBBS offers: The Elections Quiz.
This quiz asks 4 questions about a delegate’s interests and preferences, then provides the 5 elected professions that it finds best fit for that specific delegate.
Ryan Mestemaker of Chapman City, a clerk who works in the state building, was one of many who took the quiz. His results gave him results such as governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state.
“I think the results from this quiz overshot my involvement, but I do think they are an accurate representation of the amount of work that I wish to put into this program,” Mestemaker commented.
Roman Mburu of Ridenour City, a private attorney, also took the quiz.
After obtaining his results, which included chief justice and associate justice, he expressed, “I
(Continued from page 1)
Hill gave thanks to the people around him, saying, “It's about being humble and taking care of the people around you. I would have never won State Trooper of the Year if it weren’t for the people around me If it wasn’t for the people around me and the leadership they instilled in me, there would be nothing.”
M. Hill was proud that multiple members of his family were able to receive this award. Speaking upon his feelings toward the matter, M. Hill expressed his sentiments, saying, “For a father and son to achieve that is historic, but again, I am extremely proud of my son and his accomplishments.”
ended up [becoming] a private attorney, but they are pretty accurate of what [position] I wanted to get [at Boys State].”
Roman added that he does think the quiz provides good analyses on what roles would best suit a delegate at ALBBS.
In all, many of the delegates that took the quiz encouraged those in future years to take advantage of the quiz to identify which offices they could campaign for or which appointed positions they can strive for to have the most effective and enjoyable ALBBS experience.
While both were very grateful of all they had done for each other, E. Hill couldn’t help but to express his slight feeling of superiority over his father within their time as troopers, joking, “Over my career I have a [few] more awards than him, giving me bragging rights over him.”
Despite this playful comment from his son, M. Hill felt no disrespect from his son, instead taking this as a sign of achievement and giving an analogy on the situation, stating, “When you can snatch the pebble out of my hand, then you have arrived.”
With E. Hill being crowned 2024 Trooper of the Year, the pebble has been passed. The family’s flame continues to burn, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol continues to push forward.
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Cartoon by: Atticus Schultian
Double Trouble, Repeat, Double Trouble
By Ares Hunter
When leaving for the 2024 American Legion Buckeye Boys State (ALBBS), delegates had to depart from their families to embark on their own journeys. Living and managing themselves in this way was a severe transition for some, and even harder was the absence of those close to them. This wasn’t true for the Rebello and Moorman twins, however, as they had a brother by their side coming in.
Delegates coming with their twins often reap benefits from the start, especially when it comes to acclimating to the oftentimes new and overwhelming environment.
When Thomas Rebello of Dieringer City was asked if this was true for him, he responded, “I think that's been very acclimating because I always have someone I can talk to, no matter who’s in my city.”
Considering the struggles with the social aspects of living in a city full of strangers, this unique opportunity the Rebello twins were faced with is one they are grateful for.
However, as with any delegate hoping to be with a specific person, proximity isn't guaran-
teed.
“Having Russell here didn’t necessarily help. I knew we would be in different cities, but we’re [also] in completely different counties. I [hadn’t even] seen him until yesterday,” Andrew Moorman of Weldon City.
Their experience seems to have been drastically different from the Rebello twins’ due to the difference in housing circumstances.
Beyond the adjustment period, there may be some unexpected political advantages of having one of your own here. Alex Rebello of Favreau City, and the twin brother of T. Rebello, elaborated on his experience interacting with his brother in a bureaucratic context.
“He was a great speaker for me, and he referred me to other candidates when I was looking into the House of Representatives. In the same way, I helped him campaign for lieutenant governor,” A. Rebello said.
Having a partner in crime or even just a person to talk to once in a while has many benefits. Regardless of what position for which they try to get across the state and in what county or city they reside, it is comforting for these delegates to have that family right down the street of ALBBS.
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From left, Thomas Rebello, Alex Rebello, Andrew Moorman, and Russell Moorman after attending the fourth nightly assembly.
How ALBBS has grown alongside its delegates?
By Hunter Igel
Founded in 1936, the American Legion Buckeye Boys State (ALBBS) is the largest Boys State program in the nation. This year marks the 85th session of the program, and with this milestone, ALBBS has experienced many changes impacting its location, delegates, and counselors.
The roots of some recent changes trace back to the delegates, harkening back to 1971 at Ashland University (at that time, known as Ashland College), which hosted about 1,500 delegates.
“At that time, we had conventions, so we didn’t have a primary election; we had conventions and voting on the floor,” recalls ALBBS Consultant Tom Worley.
The entire election being held on the floor posed challenges that have since been addressed with the advent of digital voting systems.
The move to Miami University for the 2017 program and beyond has proven highly beneficial for the ALBBS program.
"It's a wonderful facility here, and it served the American Legion Buckeye Boys State very well," noted ALBBS Consultant Christa Luttmann.
This relocation has reduced the walking distance between departments and each delegate's dorm, enhancing convenience for everyone involved.
With some of the changes, some have stayed the same. That includes how dedicated and optimistic the delegates are.
“One thing that’s the same is the commitment of the delegates to the program; it’s just so wonderful to see everyone taking it so seriously,” Luttmann added.
In addition to the roles that the delegates try for, there have also been changes in how the law works and how they enforce it.
“The Department of Transportation used to ‘build roads’, which was [where] they took chalk on the sidewalk and you had one lane going this way and one lane going that way they [also] had
“Looking up things to find case law or a speech; now we can just whip out our phones and look it up,” said Luttmann
Not only have the same jobs persisted at ALBBS, but some have also improved since 1971.
“The Hetuck before was an actual [print] newspaper that had to go to print every night and be out the next morning to pass out to all the Boys Staters,” Worley explained.
Now, Hetuck's capabilities include live streaming important events, allowing parents and people from home to stay informed about ALBBS activities.
The ALBBS program has undergone both positive and negative changes over its 85 sessions. Undoubtedly, the program will continue to change as well in the future in ways beyond what delegates and counselors alike can predict.
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