Two High School Seniors Selected to Receive Rural Voices Contest Awards

Congratulations to the 2024 Rural Voices Youth Contest scholarship winners!

Noah Goss, Ellsworth High School

Thaddeus Donley, Donley Ranch Schoolhouse (rural Ellsworth County)

Two high school seniors from North Central Kansas have been selected to receive scholarships through the 2023-2024 Rural Voices Youth Contest sponsored by the North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC) of Beloit.

Noah Goss

Noah Goss, a senior at Ellsworth High School, and Thaddeus Donley, a senior attending Donley Ranch Schoolhouse in rural Ellsworth County, submitted the winning entries for this year’s contest. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 scholarship and the honorary John R. Cyr Rural Voices Award, named after Cyr, who served as the NCRPC Executive Director for 22 years.

The NCRPC sponsors the contest each year to engage high school seniors in North Central Kansas in thoughtful reflection on rural Kansas and to promote a discussion among citizens based on their insights. The 2023-2024 contest theme was “Rural Kansas…Success Through Innovation.”

Thaddeus Donley

The NCRPC invited high school seniors from the 12 counties in its service area to submit an original essay or video expressing their perspectives on the contest theme. Eligible counties included Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Jewell, Lincoln, Marshall, Mitchell, Ottawa, Republic, Saline, and Washington.

“This contest gives us the opportunity to hear from youth in our region and learn what they value about rural Kansas and what they see for its future,” said John Shea, NCRPC Executive Director. “We appreciate the effort from all the entrants and wish them the best in their future educational endeavors.”

Since the contest began in 2006, more than $31,000 has been awarded to high school seniors from the region.

View the winning entries.

Check back in Fall 2024 for details on the 2024-2025 Rural Voices Youth Contest.