One week, five hundred girls, polar opposite viewpoints, sexism and an Apple TV camera crew recording your every move. Sounds like a typical summer camp, right?
Maddie Rowan, Anna Chellis and Cece Bartin graduated from KHS in the class of 2023. While they may be attending college in all different parts of the U.S., they have one thing in common: their love for government and inspiring the people around them. The girls were accepted into the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Missouri Girls State program, held at Lindenwood University. Over the course of a couple months, they were invited to be a part of the ‘Girls State’ film; a top 10 film in the 2024 Sundance Film Festival according to USA Today.
“The camp itself is so dorky,” Chellis said. “All the girls [attending] create a government from the ground up, create a Supreme Court, campaign for offices and send girls to Jefferson City to do stuff regarding legislation.”
All the girls [attending] create a government from the ground up, create a Supreme Court, campaign for offices and send girls to Jefferson City to do stuff regarding legislation.
— Anna Chellis
Chellis said it was the first year the Girls State and Boys State camps were held at the same time and place. Because of that, the film captures the differences between the two camps, blatantly showing the privileges the boys received and the girls did not. Chellis said that the girls were not allowed to leave campus without a buddy, whereas the guys could go anywhere they wanted.
“The program itself wasn’t telling us how to combat sexism; it was applying it,” Rowan said. “It’s frustrating because [camp] was supposed to be empowering and about female involvement. The film captures the female experience of feeling like your voice is muffled and that you have to work harder [than men] at times.”
Nearly a week before filming started, Roe v. Wade was overturned. Rowan said it was a deciding factor in picking Missouri to highlight their Girls State program, partially because of the wide political ideology the state holds.
The program itself wasn’t telling us how to combat sexism; it was applying it.
— Maddie Rowan
“The overturning was a huge part of the upcoming film, partially because it is a big part of women’s rights,” Rowan said. “I ended up having a lot of really uncomfortable conversations and argumentative moments. The documentary [also] talks about party polarization and how adults are not having conversations and listening to the other side.”
Both Rowan and Chellis expressed their immense gratitude for the opportunities Girls State gave them. Chellis said the experience was life changing.
“This documentary itself has permanently changed the way that my brain thinks and the way that I see myself,” Chellis said. “As soon as we got home [from the Sundance festival], I felt like a whole wave of motivation; it was super, super empowering. I have this whole new idea about myself. I am a badass, and I actually believe it. I believe that I can do awesome things.”
This documentary itself has permanently changed the way that my brain thinks and the way that I see myself.
— Anna Chellis
For having some of the most vital roles in the film, Apple TV flew all three girls along with their five co-stars and their families out to Park City, Utah. They spent less than a week in luxury hotels, met celebrities and did multiple photoshoots for top news outlets around the U.S.
“We met Glen Powell (actor), he said he would watch our movie.” Rowan said. “I also got [free] tickets to watch ‘Out of My Mind,’ which is a book about a girl with cerebral palsy. Then I got to meet the actress. We also got our hair and makeup done each morning [that we were there]. I literally woke up at five a.m. every day [for it]. The Apple team also paid for some Getty images of all of us.”
Chelis said that she doesn’t know where she would be without this amazing experience from the Girls State program and Apple TV. Her exposure has given both girls hope for the future, as well as hope for other people to follow their dreams, especially in the government career path.
“[It’s important to] get involved in any way you can,” Rowan said. “17-year-old me could not have imagined that all of this would come out of [the Girls State program]. We were just high schoolers who just wanted to go to a dorky summer camp.We had no idea that we would be followed around by a film crew or any of it. Being a part of something larger than yourself is really important.We have a democracy for a reason and we need to take care of it. We have a serious issue with our government right now. It needs some help and adults need to do some reflection. There’s hope in the film; there’s girl power.”
