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Youth Tour Essay contest winners selected


“We lived for late-night thunderstorms. Power outages weren’t scary to us—they were fun. It was a chance to play survivalist for the night: camping out with fl ashlights, telling ghost stories, cranking up the radio to listen to storm reports, and the best part—shadow puppets. But what if life were like that all the  me? Having a power outage for one night is an adventure, but a life without electricity wouldn’t be easy.”


Rachel Wallis, Pryor F


rom a stack of nearly fi  y compe  ve essays, four area


students were selected as winners of Northeast Oklahoma Electric Coopera ve’s 2015 Youth Tour Essay Contest. The winning students represent the four primary coun es contained within the coopera ve’s service territory: Craig, Delaware, Mayes and O awa.


“The quality of the essays submi ed this year made this a diffi cult decision from the judging standpoint,” explained NEOEC Youth Programs Coordinator Clint Branham. “In the end, however, students who stood out were ones best able to sa sfy judging criteria. They not only wrote to the topic, they also personalized their essays while cap va ng the reader with wri ng that was both interes ng and technically strong.”


The essay topic for 2015, My Life Without Electricity, allowed a broad interpreta on from contributors.


“We did have a lot a variety in the essays submi ed,” Branham said. “We have some very crea ve minds who took the topic and really individualized it well.”


Branham also explained that the four winners were narrowed down from a fi eld of six fi nalists, each of whom was invited to interview in front of the coopera ve board of trustees.


“The trustees were thoroughly impressed with each of the six candidates they interviewed,” he said. “Their decision was as diffi cult as the essay judging itself.”


Whitney Lawson Vinita High School junior Whitney Lawson, daughter of Richard and Louise Lawson of Vinita, was selected as the top essayist from Craig County. According to judging notes, Lawson’s essay featured a “cap va ng lead and strong, crea ve wri ng. It fl owed well and was an easy, enjoyable read.” Lawson pulled the reader in with a comparison of modern life to a life depicted in the popular television series “Li le House on the Prairie.” She later addressed the importance of electricity in her own educa on.


“Last week I did not understand my algebra lesson,” wrote Lawson. “I used a computer to get on the Internet and fi nd videos that would help me understand the lesson on how to graph parabolas. I would not have made an ‘A’ on the paper if it wasn’t for the videos. I have used this technique numerous  mes during the semester.”


Cheyenne Houck The top essay from Delaware County was submi ed by Cheyenne Houck, daughter of Jay residents John and Spring Houck. The Grove High School junior also did an excellent job of


personalizing the topic. She off ered a glimpse into how her family dealt with the impact of an ice storm. She also focused on the importance of electricity in her educa onal experience. As a high school student who also a ends a technical school for training in the medical fi eld, Houck was able to demonstrate with her wri ng the necessity of electricity in modern medicine.


“I could not imagine what hospitals, home health aides and long-term care facili es would be like without electricity,” Houck wrote. “Modern medicine is a resource mostly powered by electricity that people use daily to improve their health.”


Chris an Folks O awa County’s top essay was submi ed by Miami High School junior Chris an Folks, son of Miami residents, Mark and Kim Folks. Folks, an athlete who enjoys outdoor ac vi es, acknowledged how diff erent his life would be without electricity.


“Many changes would have to be made in order to do ac vi es I enjoy doing on a day to day basis,” Folks wrote. He later added: “Much advancement in electricity and technology are crea ng an intelligent and convenient world to live in. Thanks to many inventors and entrepreneurs, having electricity is absolutely amazing and revolu onary.”


Folks also addressed the debate surrounding a growing dependence on electronic devices for communica on.


“Communica on is a hot topic among diff erent genera ons, with the idea that technology and electricity are hindering the ability for people to communicate eff ec vely. If electricity


>> May 2015 - 5


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