72 Camden County Students Attend American Legion Jersey Boys State
More than 325 New Jersey Communities Sent Delegates

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – This week, 72 rising-seniors in high schools from Camden County arrived at the 69th
session of American Legion Jersey Boys State (ALJBS) at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. The program, sponsored by the American Legion Department of New Jersey, is an action-oriented approach for teaching civics and government at the local, county and state level.

“It’s our honor to welcome 924 statesmen to Jersey Boys State,” said David Bagatelle, Director of ALJBS. “The JerseyBoys State record of producing our state’s leaders is strong including our current governor, Chris Christie, our senators, Robert  Menendez and Cory Booker, and many other political leaders.”

Statesmen will have the opportunity to govern and interact with their peers from across New Jersey as they run their own mythical 51st state of the union from June 22-27. Within 24 hours each city will divide into political parties, elect a mayor and council from within their ranks. By the end of the session, statesmen will have filled the ranks of local, county, the state legislature, municipal courts and will elect two senators to serve at American Legion Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. later this summer.

Highlights throughout the week include:
 Notable speakers including Senator Robert Menendez, Congressman Leonard Lance, CBS 3 Philadelphia’s Jessica Dean, US
Senate candidate Jeffrey Bell, former Congressman Bob Inglis (SC), among many others;
 A college fair featuring nearly 100 institutions from across the country;
 Leadership and career seminars featuring business executives, military representatives, political consultants, law experts and
journalists, among other professional experts;
 Election of the 69th
ALJBS Governor on Thursday, June 26; and
 Election of two Boys Nation Senators on Friday June 27, who will represent New Jersey at the annual American Legion Boys Nation program in Washington D.C., from July 18-26, 2014.

Notable ALJBS alumni include Governor Christopher Christie (Boys Nation Senator, 1979), Senator Robert Menendez
(1971), Senator Cory Booker (1986), Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito (1967), Congressman Leonard Lance (1969)
and Assemblyman Herbert Conaway (ALJBS Governor, 1980).

Statesmen in Attendance (Alphabetical by Name)

Benjamin Abbaszadeh, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Cooper Allwes, Collingswood, Legion Post #17
Keshav Amaro, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Patrick Azzari, Barrington, Legion Post #38
Andrew Bambrick, Hammonton, Legion Post #286
Nicholas Barnaba, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #72
Christopher Bateman, Haddonfield, Legion Post #38
Christianpaul Bautista, Blackwood, Legion Post #281
Michael Bizzoco, Sicklerville, Legion Post #372
Kenneth Bransdorf, Haddon Heights, Legion Post #38
Jeffrey Braun, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
John Brown, Medford, Legion Post #72
Derek Cano, Bellmawr, Legion Post #281
John Carson, Sicklerville, Legion Post #372
Kenny Class, Sicklerville, Legion Post #311
Michael Cortese, Haddonfield, Legion Post #230
Samuel Czerski, Mount Ephraim, Legion Post #262
Oluseun Dairo, Clementon, Legion Post #281
Jonathan Daverso, Lumberton, Legion Post #372
Patrick Dengler, Haddonfield, Legion Post #38
Sujay Desai, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Richard Dinapoli, Voorhees, Legion Post #371
Brian Doyle, Audubon, Legion Post #262
Christopher Doyle, Audubon, Legion Post #262
Jordan Duhart, Collingswood, Legion Post #17
Elzo Dunn, Haddon Township, Legion Post #230
Sean Ellsworth, Clementon, Legion Post #281
Maurice Finnerty, Atco, Legion Post #311
Daniel Fithian, Sicklerville, Legion Post #281
Michael Genovese, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Benjamin Gershenfeld, Voorhees, Legion Post #371
Patrick Haas, Haddonfield, Legion Post #38
Zachary Highland, Pine Hill, Legion Post #286
Michael Hoeschele, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Mark Hutchinson, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Daniel Joffe, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Chase Kaiser, Collingswood, Legion Post #17
Mitchell Kraft, Gloucester City, Legion Post #72
John Kwasizur, Gloucester City, Legion Post #72
Andrew Lane, Gloucester City, Legion Post #38
Bruce Lawless, Oaklyn, Legion Post #17
Bruce Lawless, Oaklyn, Legion Post #17
Edward Ledoux, Collingswood, Legion Post #17
Nathaniel Lee, Audubon, Legion Post #262
Steven Loos, Laurel Springs, Legion Post #281
Owen Mcgovern, Haddonfield, Legion Post #38
Christian Miele, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Zachary Onorato, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Oliver Parker, Haddon Township, Legion Post #230
Kishan Patel, Barrington, Legion Post #281
Jonathan Pease, Haddon Heights, Legion Post #38
James Pildis, Laurel Springs, Legion Post #281
Vincent Ren, Gloucester City, Legion Post #72
Matthew Rose, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #72
Cory Schilling, Sicklerville, Legion Post #281
William Schmidt, Magnolia, Legion Post #372
Zhisheng Shao, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Ricardo Soto, Pennsauken, Legion Post #68
James Spinelli, Haddonfield, Legion Post #38
Marco Spinosi, West Berlin, Legion Post #372
Michael Stafford, Pennsauken, Legion Post #68
Jake Tennenbaum, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372
Trey Thomson, Brooklawn, Legion Post #38
Nicholas Troise, Burlington, Legion Post #372
Jacob Vanarnam, Audubon, Legion Post #262
Chapman Vanderslice, Clementon, Legion Post #281
Zachary Warren, Sicklerville, Legion Post #281
Josef Weichmann, Brooklawn, Legion Post #72
Jeffrey Werner, Clementon, Legion Post #286
Edward White, Somerdale, Legion Post #370
Tyreek Wilson, Clementon, Legion Post #286
Zachary Wohl, Cherry Hill, Legion Post #372

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About American Legion Jersey Boys State (ALJBS)
In its 69th year, ALJBS is a week-long experience that educates and motivates New Jersey’s youth so that each statesman may become a citizen leader dedicated to service, respect, and Americanism. Together, the delegates form the mythical “51st” state of the union each year, where they elect their own local, state, and national representatives. Activities at ALJBS include legislative sessions, general assemblies, court proceedings, athletics, band, and career seminars, among many others. All expenses associated with attending ALJBS are typically donated by a sponsoring American Legion Post, a local business, or a community-based organization. To learn more, please visit aljbs.org.