Beryl Robbins, Chair
First, let me start with the weather this year! Temperatures were in the 70s all week, a first since I have been attending ALA Girls State! Not one student complained that we did not have air-conditioned dorm rooms; in fact, some parents were delivering sweatshirts and long pants to their daughters during the week.
This year, 212 students submitted applications. Of those, 191 completed the registration, and 183 students successfully completed the entire program. We had 24 students who applied but cancelled before the start of the program, and five students who left before the end of the program. Two of those students were excused for early departure and received their pin and certificate. A total of 185 students can use their ALA Girls State experience when applying to colleges, military academies, and employment.
Our Government, Auxiliary and Counseling staff all contributed to an amazing week. Three Certificates of Recognition were presented to Government Staff members. Our Judicial Advisor, Jack Felton, who has been with our program since 1983; Co-Government Coordinator, Al Vanderberg, since 1986, and David Rowley, since 1987. We made sure they noticed we did not put an “end” date on their certificates and hope they continue to return for years to come! Erika Rosebrook, our Government Coordinator, assisted with the certificates and deserves a special thank you for her guidance and knowledge to our entire ALA Girls State staff!
I want to thank our ALA Girls State Committee, Rysta Brown, Pam Wagner, Rebecca Hopp, Mollie Lynch, Ashley Cetnarowski and Skylar Posigian, including Department President, Dawn Gramza, Executive Director, Shannon Werner, and Finance Officer, Deanna Cortright, for their support and contributions during this past year and at our 2026 ALA Girls State session. In addition, we could not have made it through the week without the help of our ALA Volunteers, Pam Lajewski-Pearson and Cheryl Johnson, who judged our Samsung Scholarship applications remotely from Marquette, our nurses, Anita Mennel and Robin McCrimmon, and workers, Mary Parrino, Deb Weatherbee, Isabelle Anderson, Sue Wood, Jacqueline Lawn, Nicole Petterle, Patti Risk, and Pam Wagner. We appreciate John Mella, who drove the bus to deliver 31 students from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and thank their sponsors who worked hard to make sure the delegates made it to the bus on time and made it back home safely!
Please mark your calendars for the 2027 ALA Girls State program scheduled for June 13-June 19, 2027, on the campus of Michigan State University. We plan to have students from the Upper Peninsula arrive on Saturday evening, June 12th again this year. Additional information will be available at the Fall Conference. Make sure you stop by our table to say hello, pick up your information and take a look at the artwork, short stories and poems submitted by the 2026 delegates. You can also complete a pledge to sponsor students for 2027! We will be selling our fleece jackets and other ALA Girls State merchandise. If you are interested in purchasing a fleece jacket, contact Beryl Robbins with your order so we have the size you want.