Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative's group of seven student delegates, one teacher representative and two chaperones have returned home from the 2023 Washington Youth Tour.

Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, MLEC and other electric cooperatives from across the state sponsor the annual event and provide an expenses paid, once in a lifetime trip to high school juniors. Students were selected by writing a short story titled "Co-ops Connect" which explained how co-ops connect Tennessee communities with energy, education, broadband, economic development and more. MLEC also sponsors an area junior English teacher on the trip each year as well.

The trip kicked off on June 16 and concluded on June 22. MLEC was represented by Hickman County High School's Glen Lane, East Hickman High School's Ali Estes, Houston County High School's Taylor Carney, Lewis County High School's Hadley Spitzer, McEwen High School's Sam Upchurch, Perry County High School's Wyatt Carroll, Waverly Central High School's Nolan Callicott and WCHS teacher Diana Fussell. MLEC chaperones included Communications Coordinator Benjamin Armstrong and Member Services Manager Vanessa Clayborn. They joined more than 120 Tennessee students on the weeklong trip.

"Youth tour delegates are the future leaders of the region," MLEC CEO and President Keith Carnahan said. "Through the Youth Tour, these young people are given an extraordinary chance to explore history and public policy in a direct way, cultivate their leadership skills and acquire knowledge that will be valuable for their communities down the road."

While in Washington, D.C., Tennessee's Youth Tour delegates saw the White House and memorials to past presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as well as monuments honoring the sacrifices of veterans of World War II and the Vietnam and Korean Wars. During visits to the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, the touring Tennesseans saw and experienced natural, historical and artistic treasures. Other fun stops included historic homes of former presidents - George Washington's Mount Vernon and Jefferson's Monticello - as well as the US Marine Corps War Memorial, the Washington National Cathedral and a boat cruise down the Potomac River. The group also paid a solemn and sobering visit to Arlington National Cemetery where the delegates laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Delegates were also welcomed to the U.S. Capitol by Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, as well as other members of the Tennessee congressional delegation. MLEC students met with Representative Mark Green and had the opportunity to take photos and ask questions.

"Investing in these young people not only nurtures their potential but is an investment in the future of rural and suburban Tennessee," Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association CEO Mike Knotts said. "It is exciting to consider the impact that these talented young people will have on their communities, and electric cooperatives are honored to support their academic journeys."

MLEC is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility serving more than 35,000 meters in Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lewis and Perry counties. We connect our communities to a better quality of life through power, broadband and committed service. Learn more at mlec.com.