Six local high school students will be attending this year’s National Youth Tour Conference in Washington, D.C. this summer.

The top six-scoring finalists were McKenna Claborn, Silex High School; Nina Momphard, Troy Buchanan High School; Delaney Hilgenbrink and Sophia Nowack, both of Liberty High School; and Rylee Heitgerd and Alice Briggs, both of Warrenton High School.

The final judging was determined during the annual Cuivre River Electric Cooperative Youth Tour Final Competition and Awards Banquet held on April 3.

Six other finalists received $500 college scholarships. They were Sash Myers, Audrey Keller and Kenzie Firebaugh, all of Liberty High School; and Sophia McNeely, Riley Kennedy and Joceyln Stevens, both of Warrenton High School.

McNeely and Kennedy were named first and second alternate, respectively, in the event one of the delegates can not attend the trip.

This year’s National Youth Tour will take place June 14-20. The seven-day youth tour provides an action-filled week for delegates, offering them opportunities to visit with representatives from their congressional districts and tour famous monuments, the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and Arlington National Cemetery.

Cuivre River Electric fully funds the participation of its delegates. There is no cost to students or families.

Approximately 50 students from six schools entered the preliminary stage of competition by submitting an essay. The top 12 students won the opportunity to advance to the final competition. In the final stage, students took a cooperative knowledge quiz and presented their essays orally.

This year’s topic was “My Favorite Cooperative Principle.” Scores from all three contest segments were combined to select the delegates and scholarship recipients.

Since 1964, Cuivre River has sponsored over 200 youth tour delegates for visits to Washington, D.C. More than 54,000 high school students sponsored by the nation’s electric cooperatives have participated in the youth tour since the educational leadership program began.

The annual contest is open to high school juniors who live and attend school in Cuivre River’s general service area, or who have Cuivre River Electric service in their homes.

For more information contact Tim Schmidt at tschmidt@cuivre.com or 636-695-4837.