High school juniors from Cuba, Steelville, Bourbon, Sullivan and Viburnum have won unique leadership-development experiences as part of Crawford Electric Cooperative’s annual Youth Tour competition, which concluded April 3 with an event to determine the D.C. trip winners.
Cierra Britton of Cuba High School, and Baylee Elliott and Cyrus Smith, both of Steelville High School, were selected as Crawford Electric’s Youth Tour delegates, winning all-expenses-paid trips to Washington, D.C., in June. Six students earned the opportunity to attend the Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience (CYCLE) in July. The CYCLE delegates are Marisa Enke of Bourbon High School; Kenzington Brant of Sullivan High School; Molly Bailey of Steelville High School; with three delegates from Viburnum High school – Cole Medlock, Sophie Watkins and Natalie Wigger.
This is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that students competed in person for a chance to win the D.C. trip. The last few years, the competition was virtual with students submitting videos for the final part of the contest. This year’s competition started with Crawford Electric choosing nine finalists based on students’ essays about a historical event that was meaningful to them. The finalists then competed at the co-op in a cooperative knowledge quiz and interviewed with three independent judges. The judges this year were Mary Jane Clark, retired Youth Tour coordinator at Cuivre River Electric Cooperative; Chris Massman director of Missouri’s statewide delegation to the Youth Tour; and Jenni Cremer, a 2005 Youth Tour finalist from Cuba who is now a biology teacher at Vienna High School. The selection event was held April 3 at the co-op, with the finalists’ families, friends and teachers in attendance.
On Youth Tour this summer, Baylee, Cierra and Cyrus will become part of the Missouri delegation to a national conference of almost 2,000 young people from across the United States. The students will experience unique leadership-development opportunities, including special access to the halls of government, guided tours of the most-popular monuments and fun group activities over a week in June.
This year’s CYCLE winners will be the first students to enjoy an extra day at the conference held in July. The award-winning conference has been extended from three to four days. Delegates will spend time in Jefferson City learning about state government, leadership skills and cooperatives. They also will spend a day in St. Louis visiting the City Museum.
From left to right:
Cole Medlock (Viburnum), Marisa Enke (Bourbon), Baylee Elliott (Steelville), Kenzington Brant (Sullivan), Sophie Watkins (Viburnum), Molly Bailey (Steelville), Cierra Britton (Cuba), Natalie Wigger (Viburnum) and Cyrus Smith (Steelville).