DeSoto students recognized for Arkansas Boys State civic leadership program

DeSoto School students were among the Phillips County young people recognized for completing Arkansas Boys State 2026, a weeklong civic exercise that turned the University of Central Arkansas into a working lesson in county and state government. The program placed delegates in mock counties and offices such as county judge, vice county judge, sheriff and justices of the peace, giving local students a close look at how public decisions get made.

Arkansas Boys State ran May 24-29 in Conway and describes itself as an immersive civics education and leadership experience for male high school juniors. Sponsored by the American Legion Department of Arkansas, the program assigned each delegate a mock political party, city and county, then asked them to govern that simulated system through the week. Students lived in residence halls, ate in campus dining halls and took part in leadership discussions, political rallies, instructional tracks and question-and-answer sessions with business, civic, political and social leaders. The week ended with Capitol Day at the Arkansas State Capitol.

That structure matters in Phillips County because it gives DeSoto students more than a certificate or a summer memory. It puts them through the mechanics of elections, debate, budgeting and leadership decisions in a setting that mirrors the offices they may one day vote for, work in or hold themselves. In a county where school and community life are closely linked, those lessons can travel back into classrooms, youth groups and local public meetings.

The scale of Arkansas Boys State also shows why the opportunity stands out. Program materials described the 85th annual session as bringing together 580 young men from 200 high schools across Arkansas, while other materials said more than 540 students attended. Either way, DeSoto’s participation placed Phillips County students inside one of the state’s largest civic leadership programs for high school juniors.

Arkansas Boys State says the program has operated since 1940 and has produced more than 60,000 alumni. Its list of former participants includes Bill Clinton, Mike Huckabee, Tom Cotton, John Boozman, Mack McLarty, Jack Watson Jr. and John Dan Kemp. The program’s guiding theme, “Democracy Depends on Me,” fits the kind of hands-on citizenship training that can have lasting value in Helena-West Helena, West Helena and across Phillips County.