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didn’t exist, communica on would have to change. Many people believe that more upfront interac on would create more effi cient skills and habits.”
Rachel Wallis Rachel Wallis was the writer behind Mayes County’s winning essay. Wallis, a Pryor High School junior and daughter of Renda Wallis, impressed with “a good lead and strong wri ng. Essay was personalized well. Good cita on. Thoroughly researched,” according to judging notes.
Her memories of me spent with her grandmother drew the reader into her winning essay.
“When I was young, summers were spent with my cousins on my grandmother’s back porch, sprawled out on a picnic blanket with a glass of lemonade and tales of the past,” Wallis wrote. “We were taken back sixty years to her grandmother’s farm, when Coke could be bought for a nickel, kids played cops and robbers instead of Call to Duty, water was drawn from wells and life was simpler.”
For a small, care-free child, Wallis remembers power outages were nothing to fear.
“We lived for late-night thunderstorms,” she wrote. “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.”
Wallis later wrote: “Electricity has become the pathway to most aspects of the lives Americans lead—food, water, warmth, health care, communica on, knowledge, entertainment. Without it we would be nowhere near where we are today.”
Addi onal Honors Youth Tour alternates, selected by the coopera ve’s board of trustees, include Vinita High School junior Carsyn Spurgeon, daughter of John and Cindy Spurgeon of Vinita; and Pryor High School junior Courtney Sto , daughter of Drew and Sherry Sto of Pryor. Sto ’s submission was judged as the best overall essay submi ed and she was awarded a check in the amount of $250. Spurgeon was awarded a $100 check as fi rst alternate.
Youth Tour
The 52nd annual Youth Tour will get underway Friday evening, June 12, with the tradi onal “Get Acquainted Banquet” in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma con ngent of approximately
60 youth will leave bright and early the following morning. The trip will include visits to the Jeff erson Memorial, Roosevelt Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial and Mar n Luther King Memorial.
Youth will also tour the U.S. Capitol, Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Museums, Na onal Archives, Pentagon, Holocaust Museum, Mount Vernon, Madam Tussuad’s Wax Museum, Arlington Cemetery, Union Sta on and the Museum of Crime & Punishment. Other ac vi es include: a ending a play at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, a group photo at the Capitol, a Potomac Boat Cruise, lunch at Hard Rock Café, pictures in front of the White House, mee ng our Congressional delega on and much more.
Youth Tour includes six solid days of ac vi es, from 7 a.m. un l 10 p.m., before wrapping up and returning home on Thursday, June 18.
“We have some great students represen ng our coopera ve this year,” said Branham. “We know they will make the most of this experience and that their lives will be enriched by this once-in-a-life me opportunity.”
Whitney Lawson, Vinita 6 - NE Connection
Cheyenne Houck, Grove
Chris an Folks, Miami
Rachel Wallis, Pryor
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