Area students were able to apply to go on the 2020 youth trips beginning last November. Applications were reviewed and trips were awarded in February and March. The trips were scheduled for May, June and July.
The planning and coordination for these trips is a long process, beginning nearly as soon as the prior year’s trips are completed. The judging is conducted by representatives from other cooperatives to keep it fair and impartial. It’s a strenuous process well worth the cooperative’s time and effort because it’s engaging the next generation of cooperative members and educating them about what it means to be part of something special. The students learn new concepts about cooperatives, develop leadership skills, have fun and form friendships that could last a lifetime.
For the first time in 50 years, the Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C., for high school juniors was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Energy Camp experience for eighth grade students in Oklahoma was canceled for the same reason. Plans for the Youth Leadership Camp in Colorado in July are holding pending a decision as of the time of this writing in early May.
Regardless of whether they go on the trip they were selected for, these ten students worked hard to apply for and be selected as a trip recipient. They deserve to be recognized. If their trip has been canceled, they will receive an alternate prize package of similar value, but it won’t be the same. Please join TCEC in congratulating the 2020 youth trip delegates pictured here.
The four Youth Tour delegates are:
- Shaybree Hanes, Elkhart High School
- Brooklyn Romero, Turpin High School
- Aubrey Schumacher, Yarbrough High School
- Natalie Watson, Guymon High School
The two Leadership Camp delegates are:
- Kenzie Gutierrez, Goodwell High School
- Kaylee Woolman, Boise City High School
The three Energy Camp delegates are:
- Abby Buller – Forgan Middle School
- Jose Castro – Guymon Middle School
- Tavin McDaniel – Elkhart Middle School
