By: Cincinnati.com
Covington Catholic High School juniors Logan Franxman of Crestview Hills and Brett Shomaker of Crescent Springs adjust a ball catapult design for a robot they are creating in after school robotics club.(Photo: Chris Mayhew/The Community Recorder)
Logan A. Franxman, an incoming senior at Covington Catholic High School, was a senator for American Legion Boys Nation in the Washington, D.C. area, July 22-29.
Boys Nation is an annual American Legion program that includes civic training, leadership development and a focus on Americanism. Franxman was previously elected as chairman of the Nationalist Party at Kentucky Boys State which had roughly 115 participants.
Throughout high school, Franxman has been a leader on a local, regional and national level within the Civil Air Patrol, the auxiliary service organization of the Air Force. In CAP, he anticipates his ninth promotion (and the "Billy Mitchell Award") this fall, to second lieutenant, also serving as the Cadet Commander, Color Guard Commander, Recruiting NCO and Emergency Services NCO, as well as the representative to the Kentucky Wing Cadet Advisory Council for his KY050 squadron.
Nationally, he obtained Ranger 1st Class and Medic 1st Class at the Hawk Mountain Ranger School in Pennsylvania where he also served as a staff medic for squadrons of 30 cadets at both a summer and winter encampment program. With Logan's certifications as Ground Team Leader and Wilderness 1st Aid from the National Emergency Services Academy at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, he has led search and rescue training exercises in three states.
At Covington Catholic, Franxman is on the varsity cross country and track and field teams and will serve as the vice president of the National English Honor Society and as commanding officer of the CCH Corps of Cadets next year. He has also been an active member of the CCH Ambassadors, the National Honor Society, and the Robotics and Environmental clubs. He received a varsity letter for community service, and represented CovCath in the 2015-16 yearlong Regional Youth Leadership Program run by the Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to his participation in Kentucky Boys State and Boys Nation this summer, he was also selected to attend the five-week Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program and one-week programs at both the U.S. Military Academy (West Point Summer Leaders' Experience) and the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA Summer Seminar). He hopes to attend either West Point or USNA to study chemistry, chemical engineering or biology/life sciences.
During their eight days at Boys Nation, 98 senators (two from each state with the exception of Hawaii) learned from a hands-on approach how the U.S. Senate and the federal government function. Boys are divided into two political parties, the Federalists and the Nationalists, each of which conducts a party convention, sets a platform and nominates members for elected offices, including Boys Nation president, vice president and party leaders.
Each senator will also write, introduce and debate a bill of his choosing before an appropriate Senate committee, and if successful at that level the legislation will be voted on by the whole Senate. Bills passing the Senate are later signed or vetoed by the Boys Nation president.
This year's crop of Boys Nation senators represent the finest of nearly 20,000 incoming seniors who attended the 49 annual Boys State programs.
Famous Boy's Nation alumni
Famous Boys Nation alumni include former President Bill Clinton, actor Donal Logue, Govs. Chris Christie and Scott Walker, and Sens. Mike Lee and Tom Cotton.
Notable Boys State alumni include Tom Brokaw, Michael Jordan, Rush Limbaugh, Jon Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Armstrong, Roger Ebert and Justice Samuel Alito.