Washington Youth Tour - A life changing experience
Ashley Thacker of SCHS was the winner of a $2000 college scholarship as the 1st place Short Story winner in the 2004 State writing contest.
Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative's participation in the Washington Youth Tour Program began in 1969 when Billy Joe Davis of Pikeville a student at Bledsoe County High School was selected the winner out of 107 high school juniors who participated in the essay contest.
He and his teacher Miss Lucille Hamilton received an all expense paid trip to Washington D.C. The Washington Youth Tour Program was only five years old at the time, the brain child of then President Lyndon Johnson. He saw it as an avenue to give rural youth the opportunity to travel to our nation's Capital to learn about our heritage, the democratic process and the important role that rural electric cooperative's play in the well-being of their communities.
Bledsoe County High School was chosen to "pilot" this program and after the “pilot” was deemed successful, SVEC expanded the program from sending just one student to sending one boy and one girl and then to the present practice of sending one student from each high school. In that time approximately 185 students from our service area have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Washington, D.C. with a group of their peers from across the state and across the nation.
In 2004 in recognition of the 35th anniversary of the program at SVEC we contacted as many of the past participants as we could locate and asked them how the trip had influenced their lives.
The remarks that we have received from past participants who are now teachers, doctors, lawyers, soldiers, business leaders and community volunteers, indicate that the experience piqued their interest in politics and travel and made them realize that there is a world outside the Sequatchie Valley. It boosted their self-esteem and helped them become more outgoing and able to relate to people from different backgrounds and cultures. The experience also fostered a deeper appreciation for our country, its history and the sacrifices that our forefathers made to give us the opportunity to live in greatest nation on earth.
We at SVEC are proud to continue to sponsor this outstanding youth development program that has meant so much to the youth of our area.
The annual Washington Youth Tour writing contest is currently underway in area high schools across the Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative service area.
A representative from SVEC will be visiting the local high schools during the next couple of months and then again in January and February for the schools on the block schedule, presenting a program explaining the contest.
“Electric Cooperatives : Energizing Our Communities,” is this year’s topic. Students are challenged to write a short story describing how local electric cooperatives energize their communities by taking active roles in improving lives across their service area.
By entering the contest, one student from each of the seven public high schools in the
SVEC service area will win the “trip of a lifetime” to our nation’s capital, June
11-17 2010. From the trip winners, one student is chosen as the overall winner in the SVEC service area. This student’s story is submitted in the statewide contest. The awards at the state level
are $3000, $2000 and $1000 scholarships for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.
We encourage all eligible high school juniors to enter this contest for the possibility of winning this “once-in-a-life time,” trip.
Greta Morrison
1984 delegate
1975 delegates, Terri Jordan and John Raulston and teacher Robert Francoeur met with US Congress woman, Marilyn Lloyd (second from right) at the U.S. Capitol. Nearly 30 years later, Dr. John Raulston still remembers the trip as a highlight of his youth. “A trip to Washington D.C. was a BIG deal to a boy who had hardly been out of Marion County,” Raulston said.
Sarah Bell of GCHS was the winner of a $2000 college scholarship as the 2nd place Short Story winner in the 2005 State writing contest.
Will Frizzell of SCHS was the winner of a $3000 college scholarship as the 1st place Short Story winner in the 2008 State writing contest.