Four area high school sophomores or juniors will win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., June 10-17, 2011, in an annual contest sponsored by Adams Electric Cooperative and Adams Telephone Co-Operative.

Interested students had to complete a short answer application. After reviewing all applications, judges from the two cooperatives selected 32 applicants to represent the cooperatives at Illinois Electric and Telephone Youth Day in Springfield on April 6. Twenty students will represent Adams Electric Cooperative and twelve students will represent Adams Telephone Co-Operative during a visit to the state capitol, the old capitol building and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.

At the conclusion of Youth Day, judges from the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives will interview the applicants. Two winners will be selected for each cooperative for an eight-day all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. in June. One alternate will be named for each cooperative in case one of the winners is unable to attend.

The four winners of Youth Day will spend one week in Washington, D.C., visiting places of historical interest, as well as members of Congress, and getting a firsthand view of our government in action. Students will also learn more about the important role cooperatives play in our nation.

Students invited to represent Adams Electric Cooperative and Adams Telephone Co-Operative at the “Illinois Electric & Telephone Cooperative Youth Day” in Springfield are: Josiah Bean of Berean Christian Academy (home school), Lauren Jennings of Brown County High School, Breanne Aikman, Tyler Clevenger, Stephanie Dearwester, Ashley Dickerson, Shelby Emerick, Sara Frese, Emery Gronewold, Olivia Heinecke, Ashley Hibbert, MaKenna Merritt, Henry Moellring, LeAnne Nevin, Megan Scheiter, Kurt Schuster, Joseph Smith, Joseph Vollbracht, and Lauren Whan of Central High School, Alex Heberlein, Tyler Ormond, and Heather Reynolds of Liberty High School, Ariann Ippensen, Courtney Porter, and Michael Sprague of Payson Seymour High School, Victoria Grawe of Quincy Notre Dame High School, Elana Carter of Quincy Senior High School, Alex Thompson and Shelby Peterson of Southeastern High School, Courtney Thompson of Rushville-Industry High School, Reed Bentzinger and Dakota Guthrie of Unity High School.

This year marks the 52nd year of the Youth to Washington program. Adams Electric Cooperative has been sending students to Washington, D.C. since 1959. Adams Telephone joined the program in 2004. Today, approximately 2,000 students from 42 cooperatives across the United States meet at our nation’s capital each summer. The 2011 Youth to Washington winners will be announced in April following Youth Day in Springfield.

For more information about the Youth to Washington program, contact Tracy Hagman at Adams Telephone Co-Operative at (877) 696-4611.