‘So much more’ than a tour: Blue Ridge Electric sends local students on summer experiences

BY JOSH P. CROTZER

WHEN BAILEY EZELL signed up for Washington Youth Tour, she expected another trip built around monuments and museums. What she got was "so much more than that."

Ezell, a senior at Pendleton High School, joined Hannah Kate DeWease and Marley Hayes, both of Pickens High School, as Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative's delegates on a weeklong trip to the nation's capital in June sponsored by South Carolina's electric cooperatives. They joined 64 other high schoolers from across South Carolina, visiting Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial and the Smithsonian museums. They also toured the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of the Marine Corps and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

"It's not just about touring," says Ezell. "It's about building relationships and learning things that go beyond sitting in a classroom."

One of the week's highlights was the day on Capitol Hill, where the students toured the Capitol. They also visited congressional offices, met staff and heard from Sen. Tim Scott and the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the Capitol steps.

"I just thought it was a fantastic opportunity to get a more in-depth look at our nation's capital and what goes on there," says DeWease. "I really want to get an internship and work in Washington."

A second co-op summer leadership program offered students a closer look at how electric cooperatives work at the state level. In July, two other Blue Ridge Electric delegates—David Stewart, who is homeschooled, and Luke McLane of West Oak High School—joined 38 other teens for Cooperative Youth Summit in Columbia. That experience included a tour of South Carolina ETV studios, a visit with Gov. Henry McMaster and education in electrical safety and equipment at CEEUS, the co-ops' materials supplier.

The highlight was the group's day at the S.C. State House, where John Frick, CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, talked with the students about the purpose of government, explained what lobbyists do under the dome and led them through a hands-on exercise in legislative dealmaking.

I broke it into paragraphs by scene: opening hook, Washington Youth Tour delegates and sites visited, first quote, Capitol Hill day, second quote, the Cooperative Youth Summit intro, and the State House highlight.

One flag, not a rewrite — just pointing it out since it's a factual detail rather than a structural one: the text calls Sen. Lindsey Graham "the late," which would mean deceased. If that's not intentional, you may want to double check that line before it goes out.