WAHPETON, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Rhett Lindell of Park River has been elected Governor of North Dakota Boys State, a week-long program hosted by the American Legion on the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) campus. The event, running from June 9-14, 2024, brought together 74 participants from across the state.

North Dakota Boys State, now in its 81st year, is a prestigious program designed to teach leadership and government through hands-on activities. The delegates, outstanding young men between their junior and senior years of high school, engage in city and county government functions, disaster simulation exercises, and create daily broadcast media. The program also features speeches and debates from visiting dignitaries.

In addition to Lindell, the newly elected state officeholders include: Lieutenant Governor Edward Orukotan, West Fargo; Secretary of State Jakody Lewis, LaMoure; Attorney General Benjamin Guthmiller, Bismarck; State Treasurer Joseph Gourde, Harwood; Superintendent of Public Instruction Andrew Jean, Hankinson; and Agriculture Commissioner Andrew Zikmund, Park River.

The NDSCS campus has hosted Boys State for the past 32 years, providing a venue for this immersive educational experience. Notable visitors to this year’s program included Congressman Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Douglas Bahr, NDSCS President Dr. Rod Flanigan, talk radio host Joel Heitkamp, North Dakota House Representative Corey Mock, and Breanna Koval, Director of Wilkin County Emergency Management.

Participants in this year’s event came from various towns across North Dakota, including Jake Anderson from Valley City, and Nick Meisch, Jakody Lewis, Owen Lesko, and Brock Freer from LaMoure, as well as Grant Lunde from Jamestown.