The banquet was held in honor of the four winners selected through a rigorous judging process, Cheryl Mills, youth tour coordinator, said.
The winners are Shawna Blake of Gans High School, daughter of Shawn and Donna Blake; Jessica Wood of Sallisaw High School, daughter of Dale and Jana Wood; Kirsten Blaylock of McCurtain High School, daughter of Alvin and Renee Blaylock; and Callie Menie of Porum High School, daughter of Ann Menie.
Cookson Hills Electric will also sponsor Lisa Ward, a teacher from Gore High School, to accompany the students to Washington, D.C.
The four winning students and teacher will join about 70 other high school juniors from across the state on a week-long all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., June 8 through 14, Mills said.
"Students are given the opportunity to tour political and governmental landmarks and monuments, as well as museums and other points of interest, to gain a better knowledge and appreciation for the history of this country and how today's lawmakers run it. It is a first hand look at government in action for these students and they learn more about rural electrification and the value of the rural electric cooperative," Mills said.
The topic of the speech this year was "Rural Electric Cooperatives: Learning from the Past and Reaching for the Future." Each of the winning students presented their essays in speech form for their guests, the board of directors and management of Cookson Hills Electric. Each student was then presented with a plaque in honor of his or her efforts and accomplishment, Mills said.
Cookson Hill Electric Cooperative Inc. thanks all of the people involved in making this year's contest a success.
"A special thanks goes to the faculties of the different schools who worked hard to encourage their students to write an essay for the contest. The contest is open to all junior students in Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative Inc. service territory," Mills said.
