Pike County High School (PCHS) students Donald (Trey) Vardaman III and Lydia Harrison were selected as PowerSouth’s 2018 Youth Tour winner and runner-up, respectively. Marshay Caldwell, Monica Bland and Aleyah Daniels were selected as alternates.

The winners were chosen based on their performance on a written essay, a written test and an interview competition.

In early March, Vardaman and Harrison will join hundreds of other Youth Tour representatives from across Alabama in Montgomery to learn more about government, the legislative process and the rural electrification program.

As the PCHS Youth Tour winner, Vardaman will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., in June to participate in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Youth Tour with more than 1,500 students from all across America to watch history come alive in the nation’s capital as they explore museums, memorials and monuments. He will also have the opportunity to meet with members of Congress and become part of a group that has more than 50,000 alumni in every walk of life including U.S. Senators and CEOs.

Vardaman is a PCHS varsity football captain and a member of the varsity basketball team. He also participates in the Business and Finance Academy, Pike County Chamber of Commerce Junior Ambassador program, Boy Scouts and volunteers for roadside cleanup and Boxtops for Education projects.

Harrison is a member of the volleyball and softball teams, as well as the FBLA, National Honors Society and Pike County Chamber of Commerce Junior Ambassador program. She is the PCHS junior class president and was selected as a HOBY ambassador.

PowerSouth has participated in the Youth Tour program for more than 30 years, sponsoring students from Andalusia, Elba, Opp and Pike County high schools. The top 10 students from PCHS will join other area Youth Tour participants at Point A Lodge in February to learn more about PowerSouth and the electric industry, while interacting with their peers.

The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington, D.C., every June since the late 1950s, and more than 50,000 students from across America have participated in this unique program.