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Current
A Publication of Cotton Electric Cooperative Inc.
“The Current - Informing Our Members Since 1957” VOLUME 67
March 14, 2025
NUMBER 7
Local high school students earn trip to Washington, D.C. By Carli Eubank Cotton Electric is pleased to announce Emmalee Fontenot of Cache High School and Claire Roderigas of Geronimo High School as the winners of the 2025 Youth Tour contest. After advancing through an essay competition and a video interview, Fontenot and Roderigas will represent the co-op in Washington, D.C., this summer. The two juniors showed great efforts with speaking ability, knowledge of subject, poise and personality throughout the competition. During Youth Tour, students will meet Oklahoma’s congressional delegation, learn about the cooperative business model and connect with other Youth Tour winners from across the country while touring historic sites, monuments and memorials in our nation’s capital. Below, you can learn more about our 2025 Youth Tour winners. Congratulations to Emmalee Fontenot and Claire Roderigas.
Q: What subjects or areas of study are you most interested in? A: I am interested in studying psychology, addiction theory, and social sciences. In the future, I plan to become a substance abuse counselor. Q: Are you involved in any school extracurricular activities? A: I’m actively involved in soccer, Beta Club, student council, and marching band. Q: Why did you choose to apply for Youth Tour? A: I decided to apply for Youth Tour because my teacher encouraged me to do so. I truly appreciate her encouragement, as I would not have learned about Youth Tour without her. I believe that participating in Youth Tour will positively impact my career. Q: How will Youth Tour impact your future goals or career path? A: It is an honor to be selected, and in the long run, it will help me stand out when applying to universities and jobs. Q: Have you been to Washington, D.C., before? A: I have never been to Washington, D.C. I am looking forward to meeting new people and learning more about our country’s history. Q: What are you looking forward to the most on Youth Tour? A: I want to gain new experiences that an average visitor to Washington, D.C., might not have. Q: What’s one thing or experience you want to bring back from Youth Tour to share with your friends or family? A: Additionally, I hope to bring back memories for my family that showcase not only the new information I’ve learned but also the fun adventures we had. Q: What skills do you hope to develop and strengthen on Youth Tour? A: I also want to improve my communication skills and overcome my shyness during the tour. I plan to push myself out of my comfort zone as much as possible.
Power Cost Adjustment Calculated The power cost adjustment now being applied to bills mailed after March 1, 2025, is $0.00901 per kilowatt hours (kWh).
On a member’s average bill of 1,300 kWh, this will amount to a charge of $11.71 on the March bill.
February 2025 Temperature Extremes Day High Low 1 75 24 2 74 30 3 84 34 4 51 35 5 52 35 6 53 37 7 51 38 8 59 33 9 45 31 10 39 35 11 39 34 12 34 20 13 36 13 14 51 21 15 51 29
Source: srh.noaa.gov/oun/
Avg. 50 52 59 43 44 45 45 46 38 37 37 27 25 36 40
Average Daily High: 54
Day High Low 16 42 23 17 54 22 18 43 9 19 19 5 20 28 6 21 32 15 22 58 11 23 67 21 24 79 23 25 82 33 26 73 39 27 72 35 28 79 27
Avg. 33 38 26 12 17 24 35 44 51 58 56 54 53
Average Daily Low: 26
Q: What subjects or areas of study are you most interested in? A: I am fascinated by anything pertaining to both art and history. Those two subjects alone have captivated me since the very beginning, as the influence was unavoidable considering that I come from a historically military family with a few artistically gifted persons sprinkled into the mix. Q: Are you involved in any school extracurricular activities? A: I am involved with the Geronimo High School Academic Team. Before I joined, my brother had essentially led the team. However, after my brother graduated, there was a profound void that needed to be filled. A teacher, whom I cherish very much for her position as a family friend, had attempted to recruit me for years. Eventually, I joined the academic team. Q: Why did you choose to apply for Youth Tour? A: My decision to apply was born purely out of both the encouragement from my enthusiastic English teacher and the requirement to submit a writing piece for a grade. The guidelines presented by Cotton Electric served to be the perfect subject for a writing assignment. Initially, I had not planned to submit it, but my English teacher asserted that I may very well succeed in advancing further into the competition. I never expected that a written assignment would culminate in me being given the profound opportunity to visit our nation’s capital. Q: How will Youth Tour impact your future goals or career path? A: I believe that the experience will temporarily satiate my ever-growing hunger for knowledge while also providing me with a fundamental amount of educational nourishment that will ultimately inspire what road I end up traversing in life. I am thoroughly aware of the fact that Youth Tour is only the beginning of my scholastic journey, and I am committed to exploring what awaits me. Q: Have you been to Washington, D.C., before? A: No, but I am anticipating the extraordinary trip presented to me. Q: What are you looking forward to the most on Youth Tour? A: I am looking forward to experiencing the sights, the sounds, and the people that make up the living history that is Washington, D.C. I also greatly look forward to potentially meeting government representatives, as well as befriending others that attend Youth Tour. Q: What’s one thing or experience you want to bring back from Youth Tour to share with your friends or family? A: I would love to return home with souvenirs and photographs that will serve as memorabilia for me to admire and reminisce on as a source of inspiration for future enlightening endeavors. The historic knowledge that I can only anticipate will come from my touring of Washington, D.C., is another aspect of the tour that I wish to bring back because, although I am the one that is going to be experiencing it, I wish to share my firsthand account with those closest to me. Q: What skills do you hope to develop and strengthen on Youth Tour? A: I would like to improve my social skills. I tend to be a rather socially awkward person; however, I anticipate developing a proficiency in said area during my time in Washington, D.C.
Did You Know? 2025 Energy Camp applications are due March 20. More information and applications can be found at www. cottonelectric.com/EnergyCamp.
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