Youth Leadership Team Visits NATCO

Fifteen ninth-grade students from Marion County schools recently had the opportunity to learn about the telecommunications industry at NATCO in Flippin. The event, held December 9th, was "Tech Day" for the students on this year's South Shore - Marion County Youth Leadership Team. The students and advisors attending were from Yellville-Summit, Flippin and Bruno-Pyatt.

Members of the team were welcomed with breakfast and an introduction to the company, then divided into groups to learn about business functions by departments. Each department had interactive activities for students to participate in which ranged from Engineering, where students learned about and experimented drawing with CAD tools, to the IT Department, where students learned a bit about technology innovations and trouble-shooting. Other displays included NATCO representatives working with students on activities in Accounting, Customer Service and Network Services. In addition, students took a tour of the Flippin office and Central Office, where the students' questions were answered by employees.

After lunch provided by NATCO, students also participated in a contest which involved creating group skits based on internet safety, including topics of cyberbullying and online predators. The groups performed their skits, and the members of winning team received prizes.

NATCO's non-profit arm, South Shore Foundation is a sponsor of the Marion County Youth Leadership Development Program, which is designed to identify and strengthen leadership skills in youth and to build their self-confidence as they learn to serve their schools and communities. It was founded on the premise that the youth of today will serve as the leaders of tomorrow. To ensure the future growth of Marion County youth must be prepared to assume leadership positions.

Any eighth-grade student desiring to be on next school year's South-Shore Marion County Youth Leadership Team may obtain an application from their school counselor, the Marion County Extension Office (870) 449-6349, or online at the South Shore Foundation website's SSMCYL Application Page.