Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Essay Winners Travel To Washington, D.C.

Two high school juniors have an opportunity of winning an all-expense trip to Washington, D.C., next June, according to South Central Electric's general manager, Ronald Easley.

South Central Arkansas Electric Cooperative, Inc. is again giving students a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the nation's history, along with other students from all across America.

Easley said the two winners of the essay contest would participate in the June 6-15 trip, which is part of the National Rural Electric Youth Tour.

To be eligible for the essay contest, students must be a junior and attend one of the following high schools located within the Cooperative's service area. The schools are Amity, Gurdon, Kirby, Nevada, Arkadelphia, Murfreesboro, Delight, Prescott, Emmet, Dierks, Bismarck, Hope, Nashville and Ouachita.

Contest entrants will be required to submit a 250- to 500-word essay on history and/or organization of rural electrification. Resource materials that may be helpful to contestants are available from the cooperative's office, according to Easley.

Essays will be judged on the basis of knowledge of the subject, originality, composition, neatness and grammer.

Deadline for submitting essays wil be April 1.

This is the eighth year that South Central Electric has sponsored the Washington trip. Last year's winners were Nikki Ray and Cheryl Fugitt, both from Nashville High School.

Youth tour participants will report to Arkansas Electric Cooperative headquarters in Little Rock on June 6 for orientation and a fish fry. The Arkansas group, which will include six chaperons, will travel to Washington, D.C., by bus.

In Washington, the group will be part of a group of 1,200 youths from 37 states. Activities will include a visit to the nation's Capitol, the White House, numerous national monuments, the Smithsonian Institute, sites of historical interest; plus special programs developed by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the national organization of electric cooperative that coordinate the youth tour.

The tour began as a suggestion in 1947 from then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson of Texas. He urged the electric cooperatives to take their young leaders to Washington, D.C., for a close-up look at the nation's capitol and its leaders.

Youth who are eligible for the youth tour should contact their electric cooperative for additional information.