Rural Electric Cooperative recently awarded and recognized 26 area students with trips and scholarships. Twelve high school seniors shared $19,000 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 12 scholarships available.

 To compete in the scholarship contest, students were required to complete an application, then the Youth Committee selected 12 finalists to interview. All finalists were selected as winners. Two students received $2,000 scholarships and 10 received $1,500 each. Winners of the $2,000 scholarships were Jyntree Patterson of Elmore City-Pernell and Breckynn Cline of Lindsay. Winners of $1,500 scholarships went to: Ray Pettit of Alex; Judson Dorman of Bray-Doyle; Jory Bordwine of Dibble; Brooklyn Bunch, Dennis Degering, Kaven Hunter, Marion Lauricella and Cayson Mottinger of Lindsay, Casen Bratcher of Rush Springs and Emma Flick of Washington.

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 Gracey Bray and Cheyenne Lamb of Lindsay and Cache Mooney of Wynnewood 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 Rocky Byrd of Alex; Jaydin Tate of Lindsay and Larissa Lopez 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 Quinn Hamilton of Alex; Tyler Shrader and Isabelle Wells of Elmore City-Pernell; Elise Beach, Christofer Cayton, Christi Reed and Courtney Walker of Maysville and Autumn Brandt of Whitebead. 

Student winners, parents, 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 36 years REC has provided: 387 scholarships; sent 107 high school juniors to the Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.; sent 99 high school juniors to the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp; and sent 252 eighth grade students to Energy Camp.