Area Students Attend CYCLE Program

Submitted Photo
Lauren Cox of Princeton, left, and Ella Leininger of Laredo, right were among 109 high school students from across Missouri who participated in the Missouri Electric Cooperative CYCLE (Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience) program. The conference was held July 12-14 in Jefferson City. The girls were sponsored by Grundy Electric Cooperative.
Each year in July, an action-filled three days provides high school students opportunities to learn first-hand what it is like to be involved in politics, the cooperative form of business and being a leader. The program included nationally-known speakers and a day at the Missouri state capitol learning how a bill goes through the process to become a law. To learn more about electric cooperatives, the group was divided up into teams that competed in various events like the “build a cooperative” game. Another highlight was hearing from the Rachel’s Challenge Organization. Rachel Scott was the first student killed in the Columbine High School tragedy on April 20, 1999. Today, her family and friends speak to youth around the world about Rachel’s legacy of being a positive role model to everyone she met in life.
Miss Leininger is the daughter of Shawn and Cara Leininger of Laredo and a student at Trenton High School. Miss Cox is the daughter of Shane and Marcia Cox of Princeton and a student at Princeton High School.