Two Texas County students were among the 105 high schoolers who participated July 18-20 in the Missouri Electric Cooperative CYCLE program in Jefferson City.
Teira Shannon, of Summersville and Licking’s Richelle Schwarz were two of four students sponsored by Intercounty Electric Cooperative Association. CYCLE is the Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience.
Each year in July, the three-day conference provides high school students opportunities to learn first-hand what it is like to be involved in politics, the cooperative form of business and being a leader. The program features nationally known speakers and a day at the Missouri State Capitol learning how a bill goes through the process to become a law.
To learn more about electric cooperatives, the group was divided up into teams that competed in various events like the “build a cooperative” game. Another highlight was hearing from the Rachel’s Challenge Organization. Rachel Scott was the first student killed in the Columbine High School tragedy on April 20, 1999. Today, her family and friends speak to youth around the world about Rachel’s legacy of being a positive role model to everyone she met in life.
The CYCLE program, in its 15th year, is a recipient of the National Community Youth Service award for the top youth program among all electric cooperatives in the country.