Two East Hardy High students will spend four days touring our nation’s capital and learning about the telecommunications industry, courtesy of Hardy Telecommunications, Inc.
Hardy Marketing/Human Resource Director Derek Barr said East Hardy High School’s Jesse Cook and Ashley Dove have been selected as this year’s participants in the Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., June 5-9.
The FRS Youth Tour is a four-day trip during which students from rural areas all over the United States have the opportunity to tour our nation’s capital and learn more about the telecommunications industry. Hardy sponsors two students for the tour and pays all basic expenses, including hotel, meals, and transportation.
Derek said two East Hardy students were chosen because no Moorefield High students applied. Normally, Hardy picks one student from each high school.
Both Jesse and Ashley have been on Hardy’s Youth Advisory Board, so they are familiar faces to Hardy employees, Derek said.
“This is the second year in a row that Youth Board veterans have been selected for the tour,” said Derek, who will attend the tour for the fifth consecutive year as a chaperone. “It’s not designed that way, but we’re pleased that students who are the most familiar with our business are so eager to learn more about the industry while touring D.C. We’re proud to have them represent Hardy.”
Jesse takes part in the Spanish Club, Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society and Student Council at EHHS and enjoys golf and band while serving as a student tutor, while Ashley’s extracurricular activities include softball, basketball, volleyball, the National Honor Society and Student Council. She also enjoys horseback riding and camping. Both indicated an interest in learning more about Hardy’s industry in their applications for the tour.
“I believe the FRS Youth Tour will help me further understand the world of technology and telecommunications,” said Jesse.
“I think it would be a wonderful way to meet new people,” Ashley added.
The agenda for this year’s FRS Youth Tour has the group visiting the Smithsonian Museums, LincolnMemorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, National Zoo, Library of Congress, Supreme Court Building, U.S. Capitol, Arlington NationalCemetery, and Mount Vernon. Last year about 100 high school juniors, all sponsored by their local telecommunications company, attended the Youth Tour.
The tour also seeks to educate the students about the telecommunications industry and its importance in rural areas. The tour will include educational sessions about telecommunications and the governmental process. The students attend a presentation at the Federal Communications Commission Meeting Room and are able to ask questions of a commissioner about telecommunications issues affecting rural areas.
Established in 1994 by the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that promotes, educates and advocates rural telecom issues in order to sustain and enhance the quality of life within communities throughout ruralAmerica.