Midwest Energy announced in a news release this week it is sending Thomas More Prep-Marian High School junior Matt Mindrup to Washington for the 54th annual Government in Action Youth Tour, scheduled for June 12 to 19.

Mindrup, the son of Joseph and Meg Mindrup of Hays, is one of five students selected by Midwest Energy, and one of 34 Kansas high school students selected by electric cooperatives throughout the state, to attend the trip. The tour is coordinated by Kansas Electric Cooperatives, the statewide service organization for the rural electric co-ops in Kansas.

Once in Washington, the Kansas delegation will join more than 1,600 high school students from electric cooperatives across the nation. During their stay in Washington, students will see “Government in Action.” They will meet and visit with their congressional representatives, and tour many sites including the Capitol, Smithsonian Institution, Arlington National Cemetery and several memorials. New to this year’s Youth Tour schedule, students will have the opportunity to attend the Broadway musical Disney’s “The Lion King” at The Kennedy Center.

Other students sponsored by Midwest Energy include Rebecca Bange of Golden Plains High School, Rexford; Jacob Brubaker of Cheylin High School, Bird City; Ross Frame of Kinsley High School, Kinsley; and Seth Hachmeister of Natoma High School, Natoma.

Since 1964, the nation’s electric cooperatives have collectively organized similar trips for more than 41,000 high school juniors and seniors. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association coordinating the Youth Tour trip to Washington.