2 local high school juniors will learn valuable leadership and history lessons in Washington, D.C., after winning Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative’s Youth Tour competition.
Danielle Prime of Westbrook Christian School and Hannah Garrett of Winterboro High School emerged as the best of a five-person field after completing a written test and interviews with CVEC board members in mid-January. The five finalists were selected as their schools' representatives after an essay competition that occurred in November.
For winning the competition — which gauged knowledge of America’s electric cooperatives, leadership skills, and community contributions — Prime and Garrett will venture to the nation’s capital in mid-June. There they will visit numerous national monuments, learn from some of our nation’s leaders, and more.
The duo’s Youth Tour journey first begins this month in Montgomery, where they will complete team-building exercises, visit the Alabama capital’s numerous historical sites, and meet with state legislators. As the competition’s runner-up, Mac Tomlinson of Coosa Valley Academy will also participate in the Montgomery Youth Tour visit.
The Youth Tour program began nationally in the 1950s to develop leadership skills in American youth through lessons on government, American history, and electric cooperative history. Several states have developed similar programs on a more local level.