Co-Mo Connect selects students for Youth Tour trip and CYCLE experience events

Submitted photo: 
Co-Mo Connect board members award finalists from schools throughout the area. Students will join the annual Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C. and the CYCLE experience in Jefferson City. 
From left, back row, Craig Allee, Bruce Wolfe, Rick Everhart, Sr., Jason Martin, Gary Harris, Gene Eulinger, Jr., Bill Betteridge, Rick Purdon, Rodney Schad and Aaron Bradshaw; From left, front row, Connor Souders, Chase Schlup, Allison Drummond, Collin Althoff, Brooklyn Hagan, Dillon Wood, Alivia Oehrke, Rita Xiao and Hannah Bauer.
Submitted photo: Co-Mo Connect board members award finalists from schools throughout the area. Students will join the annual Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C. and the CYCLE experience in Jefferson City. From left, back row, Craig Allee, Bruce Wolfe, Rick Everhart, Sr., Jason Martin, Gary Harris, Gene Eulinger, Jr., Bill Betteridge, Rick Purdon, Rodney Schad and Aaron Bradshaw; From left, front row, Connor Souders, Chase Schlup, Allison Drummond, Collin Althoff, Brooklyn Hagan, Dillon Wood, Alivia Oehrke, Rita Xiao and Hannah Bauer.

Co-Mo Connect hosted a meeting Nov. 17 at Sweet Chipotle's Event Center in California where nine students were selected to join two programs.

"Each year, high school Juniors in the Co-Mo Connect service territory compete to earn a spot in the annual Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C., and the CYCLE experience held in Jefferson City," the company stated in a release. "Students compete by writing speeches or making videos that answer the prompt for that year."

Both programs involve electric co-operatives and their relation to government. According to the release, then-future president Lyndon Johnson created the Youth Tour in 1957 event as a way to challenge co-ops throughout the nation to teach young people about the United States. The statement said the four delegates will join other students selected by Missouri co-ops in June as part of the Youth Tour. Over 1,600 from across the country students will be participating in the event.

The Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience (CYCLE) focuses on goverment at the state level. It is a three-day event that teaches students about topics such as electric co-ops, leadership skills and Missouri government.

Students from California High School, Tipton High School, Boonville High School, Versailles High School and Stover High School were invited to the event, four winning a spot as a delegate in the 2023 Youth Tour trip and five joining the CYCLE experience.

"This is a great program," Co-Mo CEO Aaron Bradshaw said in the release. "Both of these trips are outstanding leadership experiences. They look great on job and college applications and resumes. We're happy to send some of our future leaders on these trips."

The four Co-Mo Country area students representing Co-Mo Connect in the 2023 Youth Tour trip are:

• Collin Althoff, of California High School

• Dillon Wood, of California High School

• Allison Drummond, of Boonville High School

• Brooklyn Hagan, of Versailles High School

The five Co-Mo Country Area students representing Co-Mo Connect at the CYCLE leadership experience in 2023 are:

• Chase Schlup, of California High School

• Connor Souders, of Versailles High School

• Rita Xiao, of Tipton High School

• Alivia Oehrke, of Stover High School

• Hanna Bauer, of Stover High School.