Posted on 05/04/2017
Congratulations to Francis Howell High School (FHHS) junior Brendan Heslin, he was named one of six winners in the 2017 Cuivre River Electric Youth Tour Contest in April. The Youth Tour provides high school juniors with a truly unique opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to learn about democracy and leadership, so that they may learn to make a positive difference in their communities.
Heslin was named one of 12 finalists in March, and his essay was selected by a panel of judges based on his cooperative knowledge, composition, originality, grammar, and neatness. On April 6, Brendan took a quiz and gave a five-to-eight minute presentation in front of a judging panel of three community leaders during the final competition and awards banquet, held at the Cuivre River Cooperative.
Heslin’s all-expenses-paid tour kicks off with a banquet on June 9, in Jefferson City, and then Heslin will join over 100 Missouri seniors for the National Tour Youth Conference in Washington, D.C., June 10-15. Cuivre River has been sponsoring students on this tour for over 25 years, and has sent 210 delegates to the Youth Tour since the program began. According to Mike Marsch, who coordinates the trip for Missouri's 37 participating electric cooperatives, Missouri students are expected to make up the third largest delegation in the country.
Heslin plans to major in Mining Engineering, and he is also working on his Eagle Scout recognition by doing a scoreboard and mural project at Daniel Boone Elementary. He is the son of Paul and Kellie Heslin (his mother teaches Spectra at Daniel Boone and Castlio), and he has two siblings at Francis Howell Middle School. His English III teacher is Michele Dunaway, who has advised him toward this accomplishment.
For more information on the contest click here, or contact either Mary Jane Clark, manager of Communications, or Mike Marsch, AMEC V.P. of Member Services and Missouri Youth Tour Director.