POWERSOUTH SELECTS COLQUETT, SHEPARD AS 2009 YOUTH TOUR WINNERS

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PHOTO CAPTION: Opp High School Youth Tour winners are (left to right) Alli Colquett (winner), Alaina Shepard (runner-up), Daniel King (first alternate), Kelli Hardage (second alternate) and Andrew Jackson (third alternate).

ANDALUSIA, ALA. – Opp High School (OHS) students Alli Colquett and Alaina Shepard have been selected as PowerSouth’s 2009 Youth Tour winner and runner-up, respectively.

In March, the students will join hundreds of other Youth Tour winners from across Alabama in the state capital to learn more about government, the legislative process and the rural electrification program.

As the OHS Youth Tour winner, Colquett will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., in June to participate in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Youth Tour to visit the nation’s capital and meet with government leaders, along with thousands of other high school students from around the country.

The top 10 students from OHS joined area Youth Tour Program participants at Point A Lodge on Feb. 17 to learn more about PowerSouth and the electric industry, while interacting with their peers.

Colquett and Shepard were chosen based on their performance on written essays, written tests and an interview competition at PowerSouth’s headquarters in Andalusia.

Colquett, daughter of Lex and Tracy Colquett, demonstrates leadership through her roles as Beta Club treasurer and FBLA president. She plays volleyball, basketball and softball, and is a member of Spanish Club, Interact Club and Mu Alpha Theta. A straight-A student, Colquett was the 2008-2009 Voice of Democracy Essay Winner.

Shepard, daughter of Robby and Rhonda Shepard, is a leader among her peers, demonstrated by her roles as SGA vice president and Interact Club officer. She is also a member of Spanish Club, Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta and Science Club. She attended the Capstone Leadership Conference at the University of Alabama and is an A-honor roll student.

Daniel King, Kelli Hardage and Andrew Jackson were selected as alternates.

PowerSouth has participated in the Youth Tour program for more than 20 years, sponsoring students from Andalusia, Elba, Opp and Pike County high schools.

The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington, D.C., every June since the late 1950s, and more than 40,000 students from across America have participated in this unique program.

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About PowerSouth:

PowerSouth serves the wholesale energy needs of 16 electric cooperatives and four municipal electric systems in Alabama and northwest Florida, with more than a million consumers in 39 Alabama and 10 Florida counties. PowerSouth is dedicated to providing reliable energy at the lowest possible cost to its members.

For more information:

Mark Ingram, Corporate Communication Manager

334.427.3330

mark.ingram@powersouth.com

www.powersouth.com

PowerSouth is an EEO and AAP employer

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