Last November, 42 local students participated in a two-day education seminar that allowed them to learn about corporations, cooperatives, individually owned businesses, legalities of business, and diversity. These elite students consistently scored high on quizzes and a 50-question final exam; and at the end of the program, six of the teens were awarded a trip to the State Youth Seminar in Lexington this June.

APES, which stands for American Private Enterprise System, offers eight students from each Hardin County high school (E-town High, Fort Knox, North, Central, and John Hardin), as well as two students from the home school sector, the opportunity to come together at an offsite location to learn about business and the free enterprise system. The program has been around more than 40 years, and has gained a reputation among students as being one of the top five things to put on a résumé.

Nolin RECC has been a sponsor of the Hardin County, as well as LaRue County, APES program since they began. Electric cooperatives throughout Kentucky are helping to sponsor APES programs in about 35 different counties.

APES also helps to build self-confidence and leadership skills. The teens are encouraged to network with students from other schools as they work together in groups. One popular exercise is the board case studies. This session allows participants to examine real-life issues that may arise in a business. Students are divided into board groups (each representing a director on the board) and are given situations to study and resolve. The teams must follow a set of business decision steps in order to achieve the best possible result. Students conclude this exercise by presenting board resolutions to their peers and then must face opposing boards as they explain and support their decisions during the debate session.

Clark Jewelers has been providing watches for more than 40 years to the outstanding young female and male at the conference. That adds up to a lot of watches throughout the years! The Clark family is greatly appreciated for their support and generosity to the APES program. As the highest scoring APES participants, Shelby Wade and Aaron Vance received the complimentary watches from Clark Jewelers.

This youth program, which is reserved for high school juniors, depends largely on outstanding speakers who volunteer their time. This year’s speakers included John J. Scott (Whitlow & Scott Associates), Wes Mudd (First Federal Savings Bank), Tim Goblirsch (Fort Knox Staff Judge Advocate), Kevin Addington (Addington Elizabethtown Warehouse), Michael Coyle (Elizabethtown Community & Technical College), Jenny Oldham (Hardin County attorney), and Patsy Whitehead (Nolin RECC).

Without the support of the local community, APES would not be possible. The program is totally supported by businesses in Hardin County, including Nolin RECC, Clark Jewelers, Coca-Cola of Elizabethtown, Magnolia Bank, First Federal Savings Bank, First Citizens Bank, Preferred Memorials, Faith Home School Group, DeVeau Appraisal Service, Lincoln Trail Homebuilder’s Association, and the Cooperative Extension 4-H Council. A BIG “Thank You” goes to Zaxby’s for sponsoring lunchduring the seminar!