This June, Delbarton rising senior Levi Schiffer ’25 rose to the top of the 800-member New Jersey Boy's State process to be elected one of two young men from New Jersey to attend the American Legion Boys Nation in Washington, DC in July.  With over twenty thousand delegates nationwide, Schiffer was one of only one hundred delegates selected for Boys Nation, the first Delbarton student to achieve this outstanding distinction.

American Legion Jersey Boys State (ALJBS) is a college-level conference that models democracy, government and leadership at an annual one-week summer conference for NJ high school juniors. Qualifying students are recommended by school guidance counselors, then navigate an application and interview process that assesses character, leadership and authentic interest in government and politics.

During the mid-June Jersey Boys State session at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ,  eight hundred delegates  vied for over four hundred positions, from Mayor to Police Chief to Board of Education members. To rise to the very top, delegates collected fifty endorsements, delivered speeches and campaigned among their peers to be elected as one of two Senators to represent New Jersey at American Legion Boys Nation from July 19-27 in Washington, DC. Schiffer is pictured below on right on the White House lawn with his fellow Boys Nation Senator from the Garden State, Jack Haid from Chatham High School.

Echoing the Boys State model, one hundred Boys Nation Senators from around the country expanded their knowledge base and received an education on the structure and function of the U.S. federal government. The young lawmakers caucused, then created committees and conducted hearings on bills submitted by delegates. Following U.S. Senate rules, they organized party conventions and, finally, nominated and elected a President and Vice President, closely mimicking the United States national electoral process.

Schiffer's busy week of government immersion included lectures, forums and visits to federal agencies, national shrines, institutions, memorials and historical sites. The Boys Nation Senators toured the U.S Capitol where they met elected officials from their home states, visited the Supreme Court, and were at the White House to witness Vice President Kamala Harris' first official campaign speech. Not surprisingly, some Boys Nation graduates have gone on to elective public office as state governors, legislators, congressmen and, yes, even presidents.

While Schiffer was ultimately third runner up for the role of President, he was selected as the Boys Nation Director of the CIA. Not bad! This summer, Schiffer also found time to visit China on a Global Delbarton trip and, in 2023-2024, took the initiative to spend the academic year studying at King’s Academy in Jordan where he practiced the Arabic skills he acquired in Delbarton teacher Zack Tabor's classroom. 

What is next for Senator Schiffer? With his proven interest in global politics, he is busy applying to colleges and planning his next steps.

The Delbarton community salutes Levi Schiffer for earning this outstanding achievement during the 2024 American Legion Jersey Boys State and Boys Nation process!