Youth Tour Essay winners announced

The winners of the annual essay contest to determine which local students represent A&N Electric Cooperative at the annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour have been se­lected. Unfortunately, for the second con­secutive year, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association has canceled the event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the health of its participants.

Due to the event’s cancellation, the A&N Electric Cooperative Board of Directors has decided to allocate $1,000 scholarships to the essay winners of the 2021 and 2020 essay contests.

2021 ESSAY WINNERS

Adam Nguyen (Arcadia High School)

Bethany Carpenter (Broadwater Academy)

Madison Johnson (Nandua High School)

Katelyn Leatherbury (Northampton High School)

2020 ESSAY WINNERS

Jacob Hall (Arcadia High School)

Allison Shockley (Broadwater Academy)

Evan Mason, (Chincoteague High School

Lyric Sampson (Nandua High School)

Macie Neville (Northampton High School)

Joshua Crockett (Tangier Combined School)

Students were graded anonymously by an independent judge who selected a winner to represent each participating high school. Students had two options for essay topics, “Electricity’s Importance to the Eastern Shore” or “What Would Life Be Like Without Access to Electricity.”

The essay contest is open to all high school and homeschool juniors living in the cooperative’s service area. A student from each area high school was eligible to attend the Youth Tour.

Typically, every June, as many as 1,500 high school students from across the country spend a week in the nation’s capital as part of the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. The students are sponsored by electric cooperatives — cooperatives that are committed to educating America’s youth about our country and the role electric cooperatives play in developing strong rural communities. Students gain a personal understanding of American history and their role as a citizen by meeting their representative and senators. While student groups are organized at the state level, they all come together for Youth Day, where they get to meet each other and hear featured speakers who provide insight to the important roles electric cooperatives play in their communities.

Upcoming high school juniors should look for the 2022 Youth Tour Essay Contest online at anec.com this fall.

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