Washington Youth Tour - More Than A Memory

More than 130 students from electric cooperative service areas across Tennessee added their names in June to the growing list of young leaders who have experienced the vibrant activities of our nation’s capital as part of the Washington Youth Tour. Stephanie Derochers, daughter of Alfred and Janet Derochers of Morristown; Charlie Bernard, son of Bobby and Lisa Bernard of Church Hill;  Jessika Fletcher, daughter of Terry and JaLana Clingan of Surgoinsville; Katie Lawson, daughter of Mike and Cindy Lawson of Rogersville; Sierra Nelson, daughter of Doug and Angie Nelson of Rogersville; and Julianne Price, daughter of Jack and Georgeanne Price of Rogersville were awarded a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., for writing winning short stories titled “Electric Cooperatives: Energizing Our Communities,” describing how their locally owned, member-controlled electric cooperative provides valuable community-building support as well as reliable and affordable electric service.

Washington Youth Tour contest winners meet with Congressman Phil Roe, Tennessee’s First District Representative, on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Front row, Katie Lawson and Jessika Fletcher; second row, Sierra Nelson, Julianne Price, HEC communications specialist Michelle Simpson, and Stephanie Derochers; back row, Charlie Bernard and Congressman Phil Roe.

The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has been a joint effort of local electric co-ops such as Holston EC, their statewide co-op association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association for more than 40 years. Each school year, Holston EC sponsors a short story contest for high school juniors. Winners are awarded expense-paid trips to our nation’s capital the following June as part of the Washington Youth Tour. This year’s whirlwind trip ran June 12-18 and included meetings with elected officials, visits to Washington’s popular tourist stops and time to meet winners representing other co-ops across the state.

This year’s Youth Tour was another fantastic trip,” said Michelle Simpson, Communications Specialist, who served as a chaperone. “We always bring a top-notch group of students to Washington, D.C., and this year was no exception. These future member-owners thoroughly enjoyed everything we saw and were model ambassadors representing their families, state and hometown electric co-op.”

On the tour, students saw famous sites they’d learned about in school, including the White House and memorials to past presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as well as monuments honoring the sacrifices of veterans of World War II and the Vietnam and Korean conflicts. Strolls through the varied museums of the Smithsonian Institution afforded the students opportunities to learn more about science, history and art. Other fun stops included homes of former presidents — George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello — Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, a performance of “Shear Madness” at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and an evening cruise down the Potomac River.

The Youth Tour also included solemn and sobering visits to Arlington National Cemetery, the Holocaust Memorial and the newly opened Pentagon Memorial, which honors those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Tennessee group marveled at the precision and skill of the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon at the Sunset Parade, performed in front of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial’s iconic statue re-creating the flag-raising over Iwo Jima.

Holston EC participants enjoy the first stop on the Youth Tour, Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, in Virginia. From left, Charlie Bernard (standing), Stephanie Derochers, Sierra Nelson, Katie Lawson, Julianne Price, Jessika Fletcher and HEC communications specialist Michelle Simpson.

No trip to Washington, D.C., would be complete without a lesson or two in government and civics. The group was treated to a special after-hours, VIP guided tour of the historic U.S. Capitol by Rep. Lincoln Davis of Pall Mall and Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga and a meeting on the Capitol steps with Tennessee’s senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker. Later, Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee’s First District met with his young constituents at the Capitol.

An annual treat, Tennessee’s Youth Tour delegation joined other trip winners from across the country for Youth Day on Monday, June 15. More than 1,500 students came together to swap stories of their Washington experiences. And Mike Schlappi, a four-time Paralympic medalist and two-time wheelchair basketball champion, returned for this year’s program to share his inspiring message for every American, young or old: “Just because you can’t stand up doesn’t mean you can’t stand out.”

When the trip was over Stephanie Derochers commented,  “The Youth Tour isn’t just an essay contest or a trip to D.C.  It’s the chance to broaden your horizons and experience change where the nation itself based an experiment of its own.” And Katie Lawson stated, “I now have many friends that I will never be able to forget. We had so many exciting events take place that I will remember forever. I’m so glad that I got the chance to go on this trip and so thankful to all those who helped plan and organize it.”

“This is another example of the wonderful programs our local electric cooperative sponsors to educate our youth on their hometown electric cooperative,” says Holston EC General Manager Larry Elkins. “Through this and similar educational opportunities made possible by Holston EC, our future member-owners experience first-hand how we energize their communities.”

Since 1964, the nation's cooperative electric utilities have sponsored more than 40,000 high school juniors and seniors for visits to their U.S. congressional delegations, energy and grassroots government education sessions, and sightseeing in Washington. NRECA is the national service organization representing the nation's more than 900 private, not-for-profit consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide electric service to 42 million people in 47 states. For more information, please go to http://www.youthtour.coop.