RINDGE — District 4 of the New Hampshire Department of the American Legion announces that on June 12, 13 high school girls gathered at Legion posts 63 in Salem and 21 in Concord for orientation for the 2012 Granite Girls State, which will take place at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge next week.

Those 13 young women will join dozens of others next week, as a total of about 100 students have been selected by the American Legion Auxiliary from communities throughout New Hampshire to attend this year’s program.

This is the 63rd year that the Granite State Auxiliary has presented Granite Girls State, which aims to teach young women about the inner workings of government.

The students will participate in a virtual state government, patterned after the State of New Hampshire and following New Hampshire government procedures.

Participants are high school girls who have completed their junior year, and they are sponsored by the Auxiliary with support from local businesses.

The girls elect their own town, city, county and state officials, learn the duties, functions, limitations and powers of public offices, and act out typical meetings.

The week culminates in their “legislature” introducing and debating its own bills.

Students get the opportunity to earn scholarships, and two girls will be selected to represent New Hampshire at the national program Girls Nation in Washington, D.C., which will be held July 20-28.

A similar program for young men, called Boys State, will held by the New Hampshire American Legion at Rivier College in Nashua July 1-6. Boys Nation will take place in the nation’s capital July 20-28 as well.