The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Bailey Gasvoda is the daughter of Brandon and Kristen Gasvoda. She first heard of the opportunity to travel to Washington DC from her friends. They told her how incredible the trip was. Bailey knows that not many teens entered the contest sponsored by Hill County Electric but she still believes it is an honor to win. Hill County Electric has this contest each year and Bailey entered it by writing a four-page essay. This year the question was, "How can the electric cooperative reach out to the youth in our communities." Here is a few of her ideas. When you get through reading them you'll understand why she won.

"Being the twenty-first century, children, teens, and adults tend to rely on technology for many things such as the weather and local and national news. Most people look at their phone multiple times throughout the day, as technology is becoming an important aspect of our everyday lives. One great way to reach out to people is through technology. As for children, who are typically not on social media, sending magazines with pictures, coloring pages, and fun facts about electricity would create a better understanding of what goes on in their local electric cooperative. Children are often driven to games, so using software programs, one could create an online game or something such as a virtual tour and create a section of their website for teens and children. With the help of a parent or teacher, students could go online and visit their local cooperative web page and play and educational game about technology, scroll through some interesting articles and pictures, or take a virtual tour of an electric cooperative. Having a designated area for teens and children on a website would be very beneficial. Involvement in schools is a great way to connect with children and teens. Visiting schools throughout Montana and presenting workshops about energy, jobs, and other topics involved with electric cooperatives would leave an impact on the students and would expand their knowledge of the world of electricity. Being involved in the FFA organization for four years, I know that an understanding of electricity is an important aspect of mechanics contests and classroom lessons. Sending an electrician to schools that have agriculture education programs would build the future of electricians."

Bailey is looking forward to June 9th-15th this summer and is excited to visit our national capital. She is most looking forward to seeing the World War I and World War II monuments and others in Washington DC.