Rockwood Students Enjoy Week of Civics, Leadership Education at Missouri Boys and Girls State

More than 40 Rockwood School District students participated in a hands-on, weeklong experience of leadership, citizenship and democracy at the Missouri Boys State and Missouri Girls State programs. 

Missouri Boys State, sponsored by the American Legion, and Missouri Girls State, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, were both held at Lindenwood University from June 20-27.

Both programs, which have been held annually for more than 80 years in Missouri, are open to rising high school seniors who are chosen through an application and interview process. Candidates are evaluated for participation based on traits such as leadership abilities, interest in government, service to others and academics.

During the weeklong Boys State and Girls State sessions, participants utilize the democratic system as a basis to form their own state, teaching the value of public office, the strength of the individual voice and the importance of voting. Participants hear from notable speakers throughout the week and hold elections to choose representatives at the city, county and state level.

A total of 23 Rockwood students from all four district high schools participated in Boys State this year, and 22 Rockwood students from all four high schools participated in Girls State. Out of those 45 students, 18 earned election to a city or county office during their sessions and one -- Marquette High's Rithika Pendurthi -- was elected state treasurer. Marquette's Mithra Menon was also her party's candidate for state lieutenant governor.

Here are the Rockwood students who participated, along with their elected positions and other roles they fulfilled during Boys and Girls State.

Boys State

• Tej Atwal, Lafayette
• Dhruv Chakravarthula, Marquette (city representative)
• Brendan Corkery, Rockwood Summit
• Ambrose Fischer, Lafayette
• Ram Gutta, Rockwood Summit (city treasurer)
• Caleb Hardee, Rockwood Summit
• Luke Hardee, Rockwood Summit (city municipal judge)
• Noah Hardee, Rockwood Summit (city representative)
• Patrick Hoffner, Marquette (city representative)
• Rohaan Khan, Marquette (city treasurer)
• Wangshu Liu, Marquette
• Clayton Macy, Rockwood Summit
• Ananthaa Madhavan, Marquette
• Shikar Mandhani, Marquette (county treasurer)
• Noah Morris, Eureka
• Daniel Perz, Marquette
• Caleb Pickens, Eureka (city mayor)
• Leopold Ramirez, Marquette
• Mirudul Soupramanien, Marquette (county treasurer)
• Sowmyan Sridhar Kumuthapriya, Marquette
• Josh Wu, Eureka
• Max Zohner, Lafayette
• Will Zohner, Lafayette (city councilman)

Girls State

• Claire Bailey, Rockwood Summit (state representative)
• Emma Carrabba, Eureka (associate county commissioner, county central committee, reporter and anchor, KMGS-TV)
• Lillian Harbaugh, Marquette (county assessor)
• Maxine Johnston, Rockwood Summit (camera operator, KMGS TV, ran for mayor)
• Abby Jones, Eureka (city council)
• Zoe Lindsey, Rockwood Summit (associate county commissioner, attorney, state central committee delegate, city central committee vice chair)
• Medha Madupalli, Marquette (deputy to county treasurer, campaign store owner, county central committee, finance director, city central committee)
• Savannah Marta, Lafayette (capital bureau reporter, MBS/MGS podcast, management finalist, MBS/MGS Leader newspaper, color bearer)
• Sarah Mason, Eureka (attorney)
• Abigail Mazzola, Eureka (highway patrol)
• Mithra Menon, Marquette (state lieutenant governor candidate, associate county commissioner, Girls Nation Top Sixteen, city council)
• Sarah Morrison, Lafayette (deputy to county treasurer, finance director, color bearer, ran for state treasurer)
• Uma Narayanan, Lafayette (lobbyist, health director, city council)
• Madison O’Dell, Eureka (highway patrol)
• Rithika Pendurthi, Marquette (state treasurer, county treasurer, party chair nominee, campaign store owner, ran for house of representatives)
• Lily Politte, Marquette (city mayor, ward committee member, city central committee chair)
• Ava Proctor, Rockwood Summit (highway patrol)
• Daya Rao, Marquette (attorney, state central committee delegate, county central committee member)
• Hailey Smith, Marquette (sheriff deputy - bailiff for county commission)
• Rineeta Vagchhipawala, Marquette (state representative, color bearer)
• Amelia Vuichard, Eureka (firefighter, city central committee secretary)
• Yvette Yaroshenko, Marquette (state senator, county central committee member)