5 Parsippany Teens Represent American Legion at Annual Jersey Boys State

Five Parsippany teens who recently completed their junior years in high school are spending a week learning how to conquer the world of civics and politics as part of the 69th session of American Legion Jersey Boys State (ALJBS).

Joshua Fortes, Kentaro Hansen, Parker Kerrigan, Viren Lad, and Amrit Nagendran Williams are spending the last full week of June at Rider University, along with 922 other statesmen, and will have the opportunity to govern and interact with their peers from across New Jersey.

The group runs its own mythical 51st state of the union, divide into political parties, elect a mayor and council from the ranks, and will have filled the spots of local, county, state legislature, municipal courts and will elect two senators to serve at American Legion Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. later in the summer.

Speakers at the week-long session include Senator Robert Menendez, Congressman Leonard Lance, and will include a college fair featuring nearly 100 institutions from across the country.

The five boys represented American Legion Posts #249 and #27.