CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2008 YOUTH TOUR WINNERS!!!

Congratulations to  our winners Mathew Henderson,  Ciera Trisch, Nicholas Manalis and Madalyn Coyle,for

Suwannee Valley’s 2008  Tallahassee State Capitol Youth Tour!!!

Washington D.C. Winners  with Clarence and Wanda Crowe

Congratulations to Mathew Henderson and Madalyn Coyleour 2008 Washington D.C.  Youth Tour Winners!

These students from Hamilton and Branford High School enjoyed a trip to Tallahassee and tour of the State Capital Building on April 9th & 10th, 2008. Clarence and Wanda Crowe chaperoned the four students students during the two day event. The students visited the Florida Vietnam Memorial honoring all those who died during the war.  They met Mrs. Debbie Boyd our representative, visited the Florida Supreme Court, and the Senate Chambers where they participated in debating a law suit and introducing a mock bill.  They  viewed a demonstration on electricity, and closed the evening with a dance sponsored by the Florida Rural Electric Cooperatives Association.  Information packets were sent to the local high schools in Suwannee Valley's service area.  Four  students with the highest grades on the test were chosen for the two day trip to Tallahassee. The students are Juniors and each have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. From the four winners that went to Tallahassee, Madalyn Coyle and Mathew Henderson won the Washington D.C. trip.  The all expense paid trip to Washington is scheduled for June 14 – 19, 2008. Suwannee Valley Electric is proud to have these young men and women represent us in both Tallahassee and our nation's capitol.

Click here for Youth Tour National Link Video!!!

About the Washington D.C. Youth Tour

Each year, Suwannee Valley Electric sends two high school students from its service area as delegates on the Washington Youth Tour. These students join dozens of other Florida students to represent our state in Washington D.C.—all expenses paid! During this extremely busy week, students receive a history lesson not taught in any textbook. Through the long-standing commitment of the nation’s electric cooperatives, the annual Washington Youth Tour has sent tens of thousands of high school juniors  to Washington, D.C. to experience firsthand the workings of the Federal Government.

The Washington Youth Tour highlights will include cruising down the Potomac River, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, touring the U.S. Supreme Court, the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Mount Vernon, the National Cathedral and Ford’s Theatre. The group will visit memorials honoring FDR, Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, World War II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War. They will also watch the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the Silent Drill Platoon perform at the Iwo Jima Memorial. Museums to be explored include the Smithsonian Institution and the Holocaust Museum.

SVEC sponsors eight students  to tour the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida.  In the day long trip, the students will meet Florida Representatives from around the state.  They cap off the day by spending an enjoyable evening on the town.  From the eight students, SVEC will choose two students to represent the cooperative during the Youth Tour in Washington D.C.!

To Qualify:

• Each participant must be an “actively enrolled” junior in Suwannee High, Branford High, Hamilton  High, or Lafayette High: two students from each school are selected for the Tallahassee State Capitol Tour

• The student must have a 3.0 GPA  &  highly motivated.

Contest Rules

• You cannot be a previous winner

• Follow the contest rules

• All applicants will receive a study packet on topics related to rural electrification, followed by a written test on the study packet material.

• The top 2 test scorers will be selected to make the trip to Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON YOUTH TOUR OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSES

• To educate youth on all aspects of rural electrification in order to promote a better understanding of the value of rural electric cooperatives.

• To provide an opportunity for youth to visit monuments, government buildings and cooperative-related organizations in order to become familiar with the historical and political environment of our nation’s capital.

• To provide an opportunity for our youth to meet elected officials in order to better understand how our federal government works.

for more information, please contact Patty Kwiatkowski at pattyk@svec-coop.com or 386-362-2226 ext 5617