BOWLING GREEN - Last week, a local Buckeye Boys State delegate said he had enjoyed nightly assemblies, a memorial flag service and a State Highway Patrol service. He said he had taken his freedom for granted, and the ceremonies gave him a newfound respect for what State Highway Patrol and veterans do.
Kyle Ink, a senior at New Riegel High School, said Buckeye Boys State had been a life-changing experience, and he never is going to forget the boys he met and the lessons he learned.
"I'm always (going to) remember Boys State," he said.
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PHOTOS BY JILL GOSCHE
Kyle Ink, a senior at New Riegel High School, stands next to the chalkboard where he wrote down all the bills House of Representatives members addressed during Buckeye Boys State.
According to the Buckeye Boys State website, the program is a nine-day hands-on experience focusing on the operation of the democratic form of government, the organization of political parties and their relationship in shaping Ohio government. The program was June 11 through Sunday at Bowling Green State University.
Ink was the bill clerk for the House of Representatives. He said he lost when he ran for a House of Representatives seat and had to go through an interview to become the bill clerk.
Ink was appointed to the job by two American Legion commissioners and had to receive all the bills the representatives created, assign them numbers and pass them on to a committee.
Fact Box
They were there
Local boys selected to be Buckeye Boys State delegates are Nicholas Nester, Nathan Waldock and Christian Fox, Attica; Aaron Lucius, Austin Burns, Devin Hatter, Mark Sierra and Connor Smith, Fostoria; Kyle Ink, New Riegel; Benjamin Clouse, Alvada; Daniel Chambers, Samuel Howard, Zachary Alexander and Nathan Alexander, Tiffin; Aaron Strausbaugh and Dallas Meyer, Republic; Christopher Harvey and Dominic King, Bettsville; Kaleb Oney and Eliot Brubaker, Bellevue; Nathaniel Marugg, McCutchenville; Brandon Langjahr, New Washington; Ben Timmons and Spencer Sprow, Burgoon; Elijah Dean, Blaine MacFarland and Alex Dority, Clyde; Zachary Funkhouser and Jayson Clinger, Upper Sandusky; Brandan Gerbers, Carey; Matt Bach, Sycamore; and Gunnar Lentz, Bradner.
"I do revisions myself," he said last week.
Ink also had to keep track of committee reports and do paperwork.
"I've learned a lot about the process. ... I've actually very much enjoyed my job," he said.
Some of the issues representatives discussed were civil unions, tax breaks, green energy and sales, homeschooling and estate taxes. The process is time-consuming, Ink said.
"These things do take a lot of time," he said.
Sam Howard, a senior at Columbian High School, served as the assistant majority floor leader in the House of Representatives.
"I knew I wanted to run for the House of Representatives," he said.
Howard said the first time the representatives were together, he felt like becoming the assistant majority floor leader was a good thing to do, and he wanted to be as involved as possible. He became fourth in line for the speaker of the House.
He also served on the House's rules committee, which had the power to kill any bill and relegated each bill to its respective committee.
Howard said he always has been interested in the House of Representatives at the state and national levels, and Buckeye Boys State showed him the misconceptions he had for the office, how hard representatives have to work and how tedious the process is.
"A big issue (we dealt with) was the death penalty," he said.
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