Three MHS juniors learned last week that they had placed in the top five of the annual
Red River Valley REA Youth Tour Essay contest, and their teacher, Alicia Harris, is
beyond thrilled.
“I was so excited when I found out,” she said, “I couldn’t wait to tell them!”
The contest, which has been held for years, is available to juniors in RRVREA’s service
territory, and is highly competitive for a reason: on the line are three, all-expense paid
trips to Washington, D.C., and some hefty cash prizes, so students are generally
motivated to do their best.
In this year’s contest, students were challenged to write a letter to a local elected official
about an issue of concern to them and were encouraged to provide possible solutions to
the problem.
“I told my students to choose something they were passionate about because it would
lend sincerity to their writing,” explained Harris.
Harris made the letter an assignment but allowed students to choose whether they
would enter the contest.
“Informative writing is a skill that I teach anyway, so why not give them the opportunity to
win a life-changing trip?” she continued. “Winning this contest boosts their confidence
which carries over to all parts of their lives, and they can make contacts that can be
carried into their future, too.”
Marietta first-round winners were Zade Bone, Haylen Lowery, and Samuel Alvarez.
Bone’s letter was written to the Marietta City Council and addressed his concern about
the lack of visible recovery from the April 2024 tornado, discussing the impact on the
elderly and families, and providing some options that might aid in recruiting businesses
to replace those lost.
Lowery wrote to the area representative for the Oklahoma Secondary School’s Activities
Association. Lowery’s concern is that the OSSAA extra-curricular events on the same
day, which means that students in the same events (as they typically are in smaller
schools) are forced to choose which events they’ll participate in, a detriment to the
student and their teams.
Alvarez, who has an interest in auto mechanics, addressed the Marietta City Council
about poor street conditions in town, discussing the damage and danger that bad roads
can cause for all area residents who use the city streets.
Now that the students have placed in the top five in the first round, they move to the
second round, which will be held on March 13. At that point, they will make an oral
presentation of their letter to a set of judges who will decide which students win the
contest – and the trips.
“These trips provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to experience our
nation’s capital, and I will do everything in my power to get them ready for the rest of
this contest,” concluded Harris. “I’m sure that the finalists from the other schools are just
as deserving, but these are my kids, and I don’t want them to miss out on it!”