Kannan Belin and Daisy Perez will represent Hermitage High School at Arkansas Girls State, May 24 – May 29, 2026, at Harding University in Searcy. Kannan is the daughter of Matt and Amanda Belin. Daisy is the daughter of Maria Hernandez and Saul Perez. Arkansas Girls State delegates are chosen based on the following qualifications: leadership, character and honesty, scholarship, cooperativeness, community participation, and service.
Arkansas Girls State is a program designed to provide citizenship training for young women of high school age; afford them an opportunity to live together in fictional cities and counties as self-governing citizens; inform them about the duties, privileges, and participation in the functioning of their government; and help them grasp the meaning of some of the responsibilities which they must assume when they become adults. A special thanks to the American Legion of Warren for sponsoring Kannan and Daisy to attend Arkansas Girls State.
Aidean Castanon and Jeremy Keller will represent Hermitage High School at Arkansas Boys State, May 24–29, 2026, at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Aidean is the son of Aduelia Castanon and Dwight Neal. Jeremy is the son of Josh and Kayla Keller. Arkansas Boys State delegates are chosen based on outstanding qualities of leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty, and service to their school and community. During their week at Arkansas Boys State, delegates are assigned a political party, city, and county. Throughout the week, delegates, from the ground up, administer this mock government as if it were real: they run for office, draft and pass legislation, solve municipal challenges, and engage constituents. By the week’s end, the delegates have experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand, making lifelong memories and friends — all with the guiding principle that “Democracy Depends on Me.” A special thanks to the American Legion for sponsoring Aidean and Jeremy to attend Arkansas Boys State.
