Rural Electric Cooperative recently awarded and recognized 25 area students with trips and scholarships. Eleven high school seniors shared $17,500 in scholarships assisting with their college expenses. Six high school juniors received all-expense paid trips this summer- three won trips to Washington D.C. for Youth Tour and three won trips to Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. While eight eighth graders won a trip to Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperative’s Energy Camp at Canyon Camp near Hinton, Oklahoma. 

Both the Youth Tour and Energy Camp competitions were open to REC’s membership and all students attending a school within REC’s service area. Whereas, only high school seniors whose parents or legal guardians are members of REC were eligible to apply for the ten scholarships available.

To compete in the scholarship contest, students were required to complete an application, and from all applicants, the Youth Committee selected 11 finalists to interview. All finalists were selected as winners. Two students received $2,000 scholarships and nine received $1,500 each. Winners of the $2,000 scholarships were Matthew Dutton of Lindsay and Taryn McCaa of Elmore City-Pernell. Scholarships of $1,500 each went to: Abby Pettijohn of Alex; Kalley Anthis of Dibble; Valerie Riddle of Elmore City-Pernell; Tessa Inman, Kennedy Smith, Lacey Quinn, Jaycee Martin and Cannon Russell of Lindsay and Tanner Perry of Pauls Valley.

 High school juniors competing in the Youth Tour contest wrote an essay as the first step of the competition. Judges selected the top six essays as finalists. The finalists competed in a speech contest to determine the trip winners. Judges selected Alondra Lopez and Natalie Cottrell of Lindsay and Julianna Chesnut of Rush Springs as winners for Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. These students will travel to Washington, D.C. with approximately 70 other juniors from across Oklahoma to tour our nation’s capitol.

The three runners-ups won a trip near Steamboat Springs, Colorado for the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp hosted by the Colorado Electric Cooperatives. Local winners will join students from Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming for the week-long camp. REC’s winners include Marion Lauricella of Lindsay; Gabriel Maddox and Jayna Blakemore of Wynnewood.

REC’s winners to Energy Camp were selected from a large group of essays submitted by eighth graders from several area schools. The group will attend the camp with 80 other eighth graders across Oklahoma. Winners include: Kaisyn Reeves, Kendall Dunn, Luke Mainka and Micah Flores of Alex; Breelee Patterson, Chance Walker and Katelynn Stanley or Elmore City-Pernell and Ryne Winsett of Ninnekah.

Student winners, parents, school teachers and administrators were honored at a banquet hosted by REC recently at the Cooperative’s Multi Purpose Center in Lindsay.

REC has offered these programs to area students since 1989. Over the past 35 years REC has provided: 374 scholarships; sent 104 high school juniors to the Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.; sent 96 high school juniors to the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp; and sent 244 eighth grade students to Energy Camp.