Spur High School and Melania Ramirez from Patton Springs High School will each spend a week in Washington, D.C., thanks to South Plains Electric Cooperative. Through the Government- in-Action Youth Tour, an annual program sponsored by electric cooperatives nationwide, Bateman and Ramirez will join about 100 fellow Texans for this trip of a lifetime June 11-19, 2023.
Bateman is a senior at Spur High School and is the son of Travis and Marci Bateman.
Ramirez is a senior at Patton Springs High School and is the daughter of Sandra Ramirez and Ernest Ramirez.
Other South Plains Electric Cooperative representatives include Corbin Daniel, Childress High School; Clancey Harris, Quanah High School; David Kendrick, Shallowater High School; Gracie Potter, Shallowater High School; Meg Ridens, Childress High School; and Ava Sims, Frenship High School. This year, South Plains Electric will send a record number of students thanks to Operation Round Up sponsoring four additional students for this trip.
The program evolved from an idea of then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, an advocate of rural electrification and youth supporter, who inspired cooperatives to send area students to the U.S. Capitol to see their American heritage and government at work. Since 1965, electric cooperatives in Texas have participated in the nationwide program, coordinated by Texas Electric Cooperatives, the statewide association. More than 3,800 Texas students have gone on the trip since its inception.
The events kick off in Austin, where students tour the state capitol and its visitor’s center, and the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Next, the students fly to Washington, D.C., and begin a whirlwind tour of the nation’s capitol, visiting the Washington National Cathedral, Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Smithsonian Institution, memorials and more. Activities include learning about rural electrification, seeing a performance at the Kennedy Center, going on a Potomac River boat cruise, and meeting elected officials.
For more information about the Texas Youth Tour, visit TexasYouthTour.com.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.
