History

KBS Records

KBS History

YearAttendance Governor Governor’s Hometown

Download full records since 1936: History.pdf.

2011

Click a year along the timeline for more information.

John K. Irvine

Christopher C. North

Karl E. Shaginaw

Justin M. Chambers

Luke Scott

Matthew Robinson

Paul Szuhay

Antonio Giori

Devin Scanlon

Somerset

Lewisburg

Baden

Freedom

Coopersburg

Chalfont

Pittsburg

Freeport

Clarks Summit

2010

Notable Alumni

Boys State participants go on to do amazing things – alumni have served at the highest levels of each branch of state and federal government.

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The essence of a Boys State program is one in which participants learn about leadership by becoming a mock or virtual government. This technique, which we refer to as learn by doing, was the goal Legionnaires Hayes Kennedy and Harold L. Card wanted to reach when they founded Boys State in Illinois in 1935.

Today, just as Legionnaire Kennedy and Card saw over 70 years ago, the youth of America can be easily discouraged by people peddling the truth wrapped up in easy answers which require little work grappling with complex issues and which seek compromise between extremes as a sign of weakness rather than strength. To that end Boys State still fills an important role in the education of emerging political minds.

In 1936 Pennsylvania adopted a similar program here in the Keystone State. Keystone Boys State (KBS) was first conducted at Fort Indiantown Gap where it was held for several years. From Indiantown Gap, the KBS program moved to Penn State University until early 2000 when it moved to the Scotland School for one year before coming to Shippensburg University, its present home.

In the period since 1936, over 20,000 students from High Schools all over Pennsylvania have participated in the program.

Senator Alexander

President Clinton

Justice Alito

Neil Armstrong

Gov. Huckabee

Keystone Boys State