City of Arthur on floor nine

By Jaime Hoefer

The top floor of Sandoz Hall, also known as the “Penthouse of Sandoz” according to senior counselor Shirley Gautreaux, houses a lively bunch of girls. While some came the first day a little shy and nervous, not many remained this way after our first town meeting. Most citizens began campaigning and deciding upon their offices starting day one, however, junior counselors Elsa Knight and Morgan Devall were bombarded with various questions regarding both campaigning and how often Arthur citizens had to take the stairs. Numerous sighs of relief preceded her reply of “only on the way down but not up.”

Elsa Knight:
Junior counselor Elsa attended Girls State in 2014 and ran as Lieutenant Governor. She also applied for Girls Nation and served as the first alternate. She said that her first experience of Girls State was definitely stressful but really fun, even though she wished she had studied more. She advises girls to come prepared and ready to do any necessary research. In order to achieve her goal of winning her office, she took advantage of her first name by going floor to floor singing “Let It Go.” Her name definitely paid off that year because Frozen had just come out. Elsa said that the inspiration behind her want to return as a junior counselor came from her want to help others learn and her learning through them. Fellow floor two junior counselor Emma Loberg shared the information that Elsa is an amazing singer and sings in Big Red Singers Show Choir at UNL, where she is currently studying Pre-Law.

Morgan Devall:
Morgan is the middle counselor of the ninth floor as a returning counselor and is a teacher at North Star. She said that her favorite memory was really the reason for her attending UNL, because she took a campus tour through a Places of Interest group. She enrolled at UNL to get her degree in Social Science Education. Her first thoughts as being a citizen were overwhelming, because she did not realize the depth the information went to. Now, as a counselor, Morgan adores being involved in a good group and finds it fun to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, because she can watch the girls grow as they continue through the week. She advises Girls State citizens to meet new people, make lots of friends and ultimately make connections by getting out of your comfort zone, because one can never know when those connections can come back.

Shirley Gautreaux:
As the senior counselor of the city of Arthur, Shirley not only entertains her citizens but also inspires each and every one with her intriguing stories. Her first experiences at Girls State began in 2002 as a counselor; she stated that she really had no idea what she was in for. She was aware of what it was in high school but disappointedly didn’t get the chance to go. She was very glad to come and get to know the girls during her first year and stated how proud she was for having the governor on her floor and additionally winning top floor as her first year as a counselor. Shirley’s favorite memories are always seeing the girls who don’t know one another come together as a floor by creating a strong level of camaraderie, and she recognizes the chemistry developed as extremely rewarding. She is a retired teacher so she loves watching people learn! Even though Girls State changes over the years, it continues to change people’s lives, and being a part of it is magnificent. Shirley wants future citizens to be sure to take risks, because one can never know what can come of these risks. She also urges girls to not be afraid and to do the right thing!

The flights of stairs to the ninth floor “Penthouse” of the city of Arthur might have been a struggle, and the town meetings might not always run smoothly, but mayor Aubrey Grasz tries her utmost best to run things calmly, coolly and as collected as possible. This has most definitely been marked as a monumental year for Floor Nine of Sandoz!