CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Student leaders from 2026 Mountaineer Boys State and Rhododendron Girls State visited the Capital City Thursday for their fourth annual Joint Leadership Session.
Around 500 students got the opportunity to meet with West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner and other elected officials in the state Capitol building. Boys State and Girls State are annual programs for rising high school seniors, highlighting local, state, and federal government operations.
This year’s edition of Boys State and Girls State began on Sunday and will conclude Friday. Boys State is primarily held at Jackson’s Mill in Lewis County, and Girls State is based at the Davis & Elkins College campus. The groups come together for the Capitol visit each year.
Deputy Secretary of State Mike Queen said this experience for students is unparalleled around the country. He said it’s all about boosting student knowledge about state government.
“These students are the future leaders of our state,” Queen said. “We know that. That’s why we put so much time in it. The Secretary of State hosts this particular event here, but all of our board of public works, the legislature, the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, everybody’s involved in making this day-long experience special for these students, so that they know how special we think they are, and how much we want them to be leaders and stay here in West Virginia.”
Hurricane High School rising senior Jaxson Rappold is the 2026 youth governor for Boys State. He said Boys State splits its students by election into “groups” such as delegates, house, senate, and public works office. Rappold said it was neat to have these conversations — like elected officials do — in the official Capitol building.
“Some of the issues we brought up (involve) the new NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) issues, and some of the AI usage within school,” Rappold said. “We’ve been bringing up possible solutions to keep academics first within West Virginia, and keep AI limited in the classrooms, to allow students to freely express themselves as they should.”
Those conversations were not without suggested solutions, Rappold noted. He said they proposed campaigns for the school board to address the issues of today.
“To limit the amount of AI we have access to within the classroom, and have the teachers promote teaching more topics and being more actively involved with in the classroom,” Rappold said. “To kind of diminish the usage or need for AI as a tool, or having students be able to abuse the power of AI. And for the NIL, we’ve been kind of promoting programs and advocating to keep our academics (as) the reason why students stay at schools.”
John Marshall High School incoming senior Zoe Zervos was elected youth governor this year for Girls State. Zervos said the visit to Charleston featured discussions about legislature and the Supreme Court; everything state government. She said she’ll take the knowledge gained from the program with her.
“I’ve really enjoyed the experience, it’s been truly life changing,” Zervos said. “I’ve met so many people, whether it be fellow friends, counselors, that have encouraged me, and all the inspirational speakers and legislature members that have come to talk to us.”
Zervos said the discussions featured a wide variety of topics. She said they talked about SAT and other test scores, and how to continue to support all students around the state. Zervos emphasized that it’s imperative that each student matters, whether they’re an A or D student.
As far the NIL conversation, Zervos noted that academics should not be overshadowed as they sometimes are by athletics. She said the students focused on bringing education to the forefront of the discussion.
Zervos is no stranger to youth government opportunities. She said she’s been a member of the Youth Leadership Association, and prides herself on a strong background in government operations. She said going to Girls State boosted that knowledge base, underscoring the fact that she can have an impact on the state and country.
“My current plan after graduation is to attend the Air Force Academy,” Zervos said. “I feel that this is a really great step in entering that process, because it really gives me the foundational knowledge of our government system, and really what I’d be entering by going into that career path of knowing my government, knowing what I’d be fighting for, knowing where I’m investing my time, and knowing that I myself, as an individual, have an impact in all of that.”
Girls State Director Rosemary Thomas said that youth in the current environment aren’t the leaders of tomorrow, but rather they’re “the leaders of today.” She said she gets tremendous fulfillment in seeing that vision through year after year.
“These young people come to us with an appreciation of the state of the nation,” Thomas said. “I think they leave with a much higher appreciation and a higher understanding of what our veterans have sacrificed for us, to a person, to a family, and to a community. I believe that that is something that we must continue to instill in them as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of this great nation. We are the land of the free because of the brave.”
This year’s Boys State and Girls State will wrap up with a college fair tomorrow. Rappold said he’s excited for that.
“I hope to be meeting with some schools, discussing possible outcomes for what I would like to do in my future,” Rappold said. “And, I hope to get with my house and Senate, and hopefully we can make some changes on our way out, and I hope to see that we leave a mark for the next Boys State and for the betterment of our future citizens.”