Craig Daily Press / Electric education

Seniors-to-be attend six-day youth camp to learn leadership, social skills

July 28, 2007

Craig — A total of 87 students from Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma participated in a six-day camp to Northwest Colorado earlier this month.

Students entering their senior years applied to their local electric cooperatives to be involved with the Colorado Electric Educational Institute’s Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp, which was based at Glen Eden Resort in Clark.

During the six days, students listen to speakers, participate in legislative simulations and go on field trips. On July 19, the students — none of whom are local — toured Trapper Mine and Craig Station power plant.

“We hope that they learn leadership skills, that they learn it’s a big world outside of their community, and they should definitely be involved in their community,” said Jonathan Thornton, a six-year camp counselor and media support specialist for Tri-State Generation and Transmission, which operates Craig Station.

During their trip, students also visited Mount Werner and Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs.

Thornton said while students learn leadership and career skills at the camp, they also gain social skills. Many of them are from small towns and are in classes that contain between 10 and 50 students.