Two high school seniors in North Central Kansas are being recognized with the John R. Cyr Rural Voices Award for submitting the top entries in the 2013-2014 Rural Voices Youth Contest sponsored by the North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC), Beloit, Kansas. Kristin McGatlin, a senior at Linn High School, won first place in the written category. Erica Jones, a senior at Bennington High School, won first place in the video category. Each will receive a cash award of $850 and have their entry published on the EyeonKansas.org site, which is a NCRPC affiliate.
The awards are named in honor of John Cyr who served for 22 years as the NCRPC Executive Director. The NCRPC has offered the contest annually since 2006. High school seniors in the 12-county NCRPC service area - including the counties of Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Jewell, Lincoln, Marshall, Mitchell, Ottawa, Republic, Saline, and Washington - were eligible to participate by submitting an original essay or video reflective of the contest theme. This year's theme was "Rural Kansas.An Investment Worth Making."
To view the top entries or to learn more about the Rural Voices Youth Contest, visit www.eyeonkansas.org and click on the "RuralVoices" link. The NCRPC is community development and planning organization that has served North Central Kansas for more than 40 years. For more information about the organization, visit www.ncrpc.org.