Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association

Youth Leadership Program Essay Contest

Contest Guidelines

*Contest is open to junior class (11th grade) or equivalent students in high schools located within Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association's service area.

*Students must be 16 years of age on or before December 31st of the current year of the program.

*Participants do not have to be members of Pearl River Valley EPA. However, if two electric power associations offer this program within one school, then students' parents or legal guardian would be required to be members of Pearl River Valley EPA.

*Essay must contain a minimum of 400 words, but should not exceed 800 words. A listing of resources used to write essay must be included.

*Topic for essay will be: How electricity has affected my education.

Include in your essay the following three issues:

*Describe how electricity has affected your education compared to those educated without its benefit.

*Include a short history of the organization of rural electric cooperatives in America.

*Discuss the difference between rural electric cooperatives and other types of utilities. What are the advantages to being a member of a rural electric cooperative?

*The essay should be typed.

*It is suggested that each class write the essay as a class project with the teacher grading the essays for regular class credit. The teacher will then submit the top essay from the junior class to Pearl River Valley EPA.

*Students who participate in the home school program are eligible to participate in this program. However, only one student will be chosen from all essays received from home school students throughout our system to represent the home school program and be eligible for the awards.

*The name of the student should not appear on the essay, but will need to be supplied on a separate sheet attached to the essay. Information provided on the sheet should be: Name of school, school telephone number, person to contact at school, student's name, home address, telephone number and parents' names. For home school students, please provide all information that is applicable.

*Pearl River Valley EPA has the right to publish the essay at its discretion and may use the winner's name and photograph in any promotion for this program.

*Pearl River Valley EPA reserves the right not to present any award, if in the judges' opinion, quality essays are not present.

*These guidelines are subject to be changed at any time deemed necessary by Pearl River Valley EPA.

Judging

*Judges will be named by Pearl River Valley EPA.

*The judging committee, consisting of three individuals, will review the essays and select the top five entries. Judging for the essays will be based on 50 percent content, 25 percent originality, and 25 percent grammatical.

*Each of the top five finalists may be contacted and required to participate in an informal interview with the judges. The judges will then select two winners and one alternate. The two winners will attend the Leadership Seminar in Jackson, Mississippi, March 5-7, 2008 and the Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour June 13-19, 2008. The students must attend the Leadership Seminar in order to attend the Washington trip.

Reference Materials

*Reference materials have been supplied by Pearl River Valley EPA and can be found in your school library. These include The Next Greatest Thing, a publication of NRECA, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, A Giant Step, by Clyde T. Ellis, and Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow - The Farmer Takes A Hand, by Marquis W. Childs. Additional information can also be found in encyclopedias and similar reference materials. Additional information may be found HERE. Also, check out NRECA's web site HERE.

Any student needing further assistance or additional information may contact the Member Services Department, Pearl River Valley EPA,
Columbia, Mississippi, 601-736-2666.

Awards

*The top two student essays will receive $100 for each student, teacher, and school. The remaining school winning essays will receive $25 for each student and teacher.

Notes

*Children of Pearl River Valley EPA employees and Board of Directors are
ineligible to receive an award.

*Essays should be mailed to:   C. R. Stuckey, Jr.
                                                           Manager of Member Services
                                                           Pearl River Valley EPA
                                                           P. O. Box 1217
                                                           Columbia, MS 39429-1217

*The essays must be in our office by December 7, 2007.