Forty teens representing 20 South Dakota electric cooperatives headed to the Washington, D.C., area June 17-23 for the 2023 Rural Electric Youth Tour.

Central Electric Cooperative sponsors the trip to support the development of future community leaders. Local Youth Tour attendees were Hanson High School junior Cody Beaudry, son of Tami Beaudry; Mitchell High School junior Reed Bruns, son of David and Laura Bruns; Wessington Springs High School junior Abby Kolousek, daughter of Scott and Amber Kolousek; Plankinton High School junior Whitney Payne, daughter of Ken and Michelle Payne; and Kimball High School junior Tatum Tyrrell, son of Lorin and Amy Tyrrell. 

The program, which can trace its existence back to a 1957 speech by Lyndon B. Johnson where he encouraged electric cooperatives to send youth to the nation’s capitol so they “can actually see what the flag stands for and represents,” encourages teens to engage in their communities and learn about the importance of political involvement. More than 1,300 teens have represented the Rushmore State since South Dakota sent its first group in 1963.

The 2023 group visited many of the historic sites the region has to offer, including a Flag Day stop at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry. The fort’s bombardment in the War of 1812 was captured in Francis Scott Key’s poem, which would eventually become the national anthem. Old Glory would play a recurring theme in the trip as students could see it at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and also hear an inspirational message centered on the flag from Youth Day keynote speaker Mike Schlappi, a four-time Paralympic medalist in U.S.A. men’s wheelchair basketball.

Students also met with the state’s congressional delegation and other Youth Tour participants from across the country while touring many of our nation’s historical sites – including the National Archives, Library of Congress, Mount Vernon and the U.S. Supreme Court.