Don't rain on our parade

The citizens of Cornhusker Girls State awoke to rain falling outside their windows, but there was nothing but sunshine provided by the citizens inside Mari Sandoz Hall.

The delegates spent their morning voting for Girls Nation senators joint session. Friday morning the Girls Nation finalists will be announced and the finalists will be interviewed. After the interview and some heavy consideration the two Girls Nation senators will be announced Saturday at graduation.

After voting the citizens took a soggy walk to Kimball Hall for the second to last joint session with Cornhusker Boys State. Citizens met early in the day for a debate between the chairs of the Nebraska Democratic and Republican parties. J.L. Spray and Vince Powers introduced themselves, said their opening statements and then let the Girls and Boys State citizens ask questions. The respective media groups formulated the questions for the debate; focusing on Nebraska issues like gay marriage, the TransCanada pipeline and the transportation of marijuana from Colorado.

If seeing the boys wasn't exciting enough, a few hours away was the governor inauguration. Citizens ate quickly and walked quickly in the spitting rain the mile to the Capitol. Once there, the citizens got the chance to explore the historic building and get a bird's eye view from the top observation deck.

With exploring done, the main event was on. The 2015 governor of Girls State, Kamryn Sannicks, the senators and the rest of the inaugural group were sworn in. Sannick's mother, sister and other close friends watched her raise her right hand and repeat after the Supreme Court Justice. After all was said and done the citizens dispersed to different offices within the Nebraska government system to learn about their elected or appointed positions.

Rain continued to dampen the ground, but not the excitement of the impending visit to the Nebraska National Guard base. White buses came to pick girls up and take them to the base. The soldiers on the buses encouraged the girls to cheer as loud as possible all the way to the base and back again. Citizens got up close and personal with the equipment the National Guard uses on a regular basis, including Comanche aircraft, BAMBI buckets and the base control center. The base also had a jungle gym set up, allowing the girls to release all their pent up energy.

One would think all the excitement from the day would wear a teenager out. After floor meetings many girls went to different lobbies or rooms to hang out and unwind after the whirlwind day. They had realized that today marked the over half way point and Girls State is coming to an end.

Visit the Girls State Gazette Online tomorrow for coverage of Girls Nation interviews and the last joint session with Cornhusker Boys State. 

Where the star shines: blue star banners decorate doors

During World War I, army Captain Robert L. Queissered patented a flag in honor of his two sons serving front line in 1917. This flag was named the Blue Star Banner. During World War II, the flag was put under strict guidelines, some of which including manufacturing. The guidelines address who could hang the flag or wear the lapel button.  

The blue star in the middle represents an immediate family member in the service. The banners can hold up to five stars. In the happenstance that a loved one should pass, a small gold star is placed over the blue star. In the event of multiple service members passing, the gold stars will be placed on the top right of the flag. Many people today hang the flags in the window of their homes to show support of their loved one in the service. 

Delegate Citlali Peña of eighth floor Madison, has a Blue Star Banner on her door. She has it to honor her brother, a marine of four years. 

“A friend at his high school told him he should try it out,” Peña.

Shortly after he signed up, he went to Basic Training in California. After three months, Peña remembers him coming home and he had fallen in love with the Marines. Four years later, he is serving in the Marines and attending college in South Carolina.

By: Holly Potosnyak