The

contest, open to students in the 10th and 11th grades,

requires them to write 500-word essays on their choice of

three subjects relating to the electric utility industry

and how it affects people's lives.

This year,

Shaun Chunta and Amy Ann Roberts, both Fayette County

High School students, were recommended by English Teacher

Becky Lewis to make the Washington trip.

According

to EMC president and CEO Michael Whiteside, the

Washington Youth Tour serves various purposes. "In

addition to being a valuable learning experience from the

standpoint of our country's history," he said,

"this trip fosters leadership in students who will

one day be at the helm of our communities and even our

country."

President

Lyndon Johnson began the Youth Tour in an effort to give

students a close-up look at government and to spawn

leadership. More than 1,000 young people representing

cooperatives from 26 states met with state and national

leaders to exchange ideas, and also went sightseeing.

Before

leaving for their trip, the group learned about Georgia's

42 EMCs and the entire industry during a tour of the

headquarters of Georgia Electric Membership Corporation

and Oglethorpe Power Corporation in Tucker.

Coweta-Fayette

EMC has provided electricity and other services for more

than 50 years to more than 51,000 consumers in one of the

nation's fastest-growing areas, including Coweta,

Fayette, South Fulton, Heard, Meriwether, Spalding and

Troup Counties.