Contact: Priscilla Knight, 703-392-1580, pknight@novec.com

NORTHERN VIRGINIA – Five area high school students selected by the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative joined nearly 1,500 juniors and seniors from across the United States June 13-17 at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Tour. They met with Reps. Frank Wolf and Gerald Connolly, and they experienced Washington at work.

NOVEC’s students were:

• Tyler Gass, Battlefield High School, Haymarket
• Gladys Ibanez-Alers, Freedom High School, South Riding
• Matthew Munson of Centreville, Seton High School, Manassas
• Taylor Owens, Osbourn Park High School, Manassas
• Krista Shaw, Pope John Paul the Great High School, Dumfries

All five students said they learned a lot about the process of government and the capital city while getting to know students from diverse sections of the U.S.

Tyler Gass said, “I was excited to question our congressmen on key issues. I think every teenager could benefit from this type of visit to our nation’s capital.”

Matthew Munson described his visit with Rep. Wolf as the most memorable: “I was amazed he took time to talk with us because of his busy schedule. He had his service academy nominees there. I told him that I hoped to be in that group in two years.”

“I liked being able to meet new people from around the country and making new friends,” said Gladys Ibanez-Alers. “I also enjoyed getting to meet our congressmen who took their time to come and meet with us. This is an experience I will never forget.”

Taylor Owens noted, “We all got a rare opportunity to meet others with completely different views and yet find a common bond to unite us. I enjoyed my experience and wish Youth Tour could have lasted longer.”

Krista Shaw agreed and said, “Since I have lived within an hour of the nation’s capital my entire life, I felt my experience might not be new or unique. As soon as we arrived in Crystal City, I knew I had been wrong. Within less than a week, I learned to speak with many different accents, curl my hair like a southern belle, dance a two-step like a New Mexican cowgirl, and appreciate crabs like my Maryland friends.”

NOVEC selected the students based on their grades and interests in government. Home-schooled, private school, and public school students were eligible to participate in the all-expenses-paid tour. To qualify, students’ households must receive electricity from NOVEC.

Each year in June, Youth Tour gives high school students the opportunity to see Washington, D.C., and discuss today’s pressing issues with their representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. This year, Youth Tour participants visited the U.S. Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Newseum, the Museum of Crime and Punishment, and the White House. They also took a Potomac River cruise.

Since the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour’s inception in 1964, more than 40,000 American high school students have participated, including 215 students from NOVEC.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association represents the interests of the nation’s electric cooperatives and the customers they serve.