Benjamin Cooke of Findley Lake was chosen as one of 600 juniors chosen to attend Boys’ State at SUNY Morrisville this past summer. With Cooke is Frank Pratt, American Legion Post 874.

Clymer Central School senior Benjamin Cooke had an “amazing, once in a lifetime experience” when he was chosen as one in only 600 Juniors from around the state to take part in Boys’ State at the State University of New York at Morrisville.

The week-long event took place June 25 to 30. “It was a really neat experience,” Cooke said. “It really helped me to come out of my comfort zone. I needed to break out and meet new people.”

According to SUNY Morrisville, American Legion Boys’ State is a one week-long program that immerses rising high school seniors in proper citizenship and leadership training. They learn the practical aspects of government as it exists in New York State, and come to recognize that the individual is integral to the character and success of government. They also participate in physical training, teamwork, as well as other activities under the guidance of American Legion counselors and U.S. Marines.

Cooke was approached by a teacher from his school who thought he would be a good candidate, said his father David Cooke. He was also encouraged and sponsored by Frank Pratt, who is the Boys’ State Chairperson of American Legion Post 874 in Clymer.

“I’m very proud of Ben for wanting to go and get out of his comfort zone,” David Cooke said. “The program fosters patriotism and involvement in civics and public service.”

Ben was recently honored by Clymer American Legion Post 874 where he gave a speech detailing his experience.

One of the things that Cooke said he particularly enjoyed was that each group of 60 young men at Boys’ State are assigned a marine who is in charge of “running morning PT, drill and teaching us many other invaluable lessons along the way.”

Cooke said he hopes to be part of a Naval ROTC program in college, after which he will commission as an officer in the U.S. Marines.

“Boys’ State was an amazing once in a lifetime experience that has taught me many things about community, government, service and teamwork,” Cooke said. “I was able to connect and learn with some of the most brilliant Juniors from across the state. I am so thankful for this opportunity.”

The program does not let the participants remain idle, Cooke said. On the day of their arrival, he was assigned to a dorm of 60 guys. “Many of these individuals were very passionate and I could tell that I was with some of the smartest people I have ever met in my life,” he said.

Things really sped up on Monday, Cooke said. “Monday was a good wake-up call to remind us that the Marines mean business,” he said. “We woke up at 5:30 and had to be quickly dressed and ready for our daily morning PT.”

After that, the participants engaged in elections, first for “city” positions, then for “state” positions. “These elections were a big deal because there were only 10 of the state positions out of all 600 delegates,” he said. “For me, this was one of the most exciting events because these sessions get loud and you really get to bond with the other guys from your fictitious “county.”‘

When Friday came, Cooke said, he was glad he had kept a journal of the events because there was so much they had done. “I think I learned more about politics in one week than I have in every government class at our school put together,” he said.

Having had this experience, Cooke said he can speak to current Juniors who might be interested in applying for Boys’ State.

“A few of the things that I learned about running for office here is that the funny, charismatic guys might win early on, but the guys who speak with passion and heart are the ones who will win the big state elections,” he said. “The guys that went on to Boys’ Nation weren’t necessarily the smartest or knew about everything in politics, but they were just good leaders who really cared to work hard and build up those around them.”