There were 102 high school students participating in Missouri’s 54th annual Missouri Electric Youth Tour to Washington, DC, June 9-15.

The local delegate was Makaylah Jones, Maryville, sponsored by United Electric Cooperative.

The seven-day tour provided an action-filled week, offering students opportunities to learn what it is like to be involved in politics, leadership positions and community service.

“The Youth Tour is the highlight of the summer for many students and we’re proud to send our best and brightest to Washington, DC, this year to participate,” Mike Marsch, Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives member services director, said.

Highlights included the students visiting with representatives from their congressional districts and touring famous monuments, the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and Arlington National Cemetery. The group also took a sightseeing and dance cruise on the Potomac River one evening with delegates from other states.

Other events of the week included participation in the Electric Youth Day, during which a special program coordinated by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association brought together more than 1,600 Youth Tour delegates from across the United States. The delegates heard speeches by government leaders and motivational speakers such as Mike Schlappi, a four-time Paralympic medalist and two-time world wheelchair basketball champion.

Since 1964, the nation’s cooperative electric utilities have sponsored more than 50,000 high school juniors and seniors for visits to Washington, DC.

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