Seven Waynesville High School juniors have earned all-expenses-paid trips through an essay competition sponsored by the Laclede Electric Cooperative and hosted by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
The WHS students are Russell Aden, Emmay Bailly, Aminah Harmon, Ziarlene Bituin, Deja Pelliccia, Joe Telebrico and Bella Wethington.
This contest showcases student talent and leadership among Missouri’s youth. The schools serviced in the Laclede Electric Cooperative were invited to participate in the contest, and entries were received from Conway, Hartville, Lebanon and Waynesville.
Out of the 95 essays that were entered, a panel of judges at the Laclede Electric Cooperative in Lebanon selected the top 15. They then sent the essays to three judges in separate cooperatives across the state who chose the top 10. Out of those 10, Waynesville students took seven of the winning spots. The top four essays earn the Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., and the other six earn the CYCLE Leadership Conference in Jefferson City trip.
Russell Aden, Emmay Bailly and Aminah Harmon will represent Waynesville High School on the Missouri Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., in June 2026, while Ziarlene Bituin, Deja Pelliccia Joe Telebrico and Bella Wethington will attend the Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience (CYCLE) in Jefferson City in July 2026.
The Missouri Youth Tour, organized by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, brings more than 100 Missouri high school juniors to Washington, D.C., for a week of leadership development and civic engagement. The essays of Aden, Bailley, and Harmon earned them a spot among nearly 2,000 students nationwide. They will visit the U.S. Capitol, Smithsonian Museums and other historic monuments while learning about electric cooperatives’ community impact.
The CYCLE program, a four-day conference in Jefferson City, immerses high school juniors in Missouri’s state government and cooperative model, and also brings in national guest speakers. The four essays of Bituin, Pelleccia, Telebrico and Wethington secured their place among Missouri’s brightest young leaders. They will engage with nationally known speakers, tour the State Capitol, and participate in a mock legislative session.
