Central Electric Cooperative has announced its 2026 scholarship recipients, awarding financial support to local students pursuing post-secondary education. The scholarships, funded by the cooperative and its partners, recognize leadership, academic achievement and community involvement. Recipients are selected through a competitive application process evaluated by an independent judge.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative Scholarship
The $2,500 Basin Electric Power Cooperative scholarship is awarded to one outstanding student in Central Electric’s service area who demonstrates leadership and academic excellence. Mitchell High School senior Hope Baysinger, daughter of Greg and Monica Baysinger of Woonsocket, was selected to receive the Basin Electric Power Cooperative Scholarship. She plans to study Animal Science at South Dakota State University.
Jay Headley Memorial Scholarship
The $1,000 Jay Headley Memorial Scholarship is awarded to one outstanding student in Central Electric’s service area who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in an agriculture-related field. The scholarship is sponsored by Jim and Cristine Headley, parents of the late Jay Headley, of White Lake. Bryce Larson, son of Steve and Roxann Larson of Letcher, was selected to receive the Jay Headley Memorial Scholarship. He is studying Agricultural Systems Technology at South Dakota State University.
Mitchell Technical College Scholarships
Two $500 scholarships are awarded to students in Central Electric’s service area who are enrolled in eligible programs at Mitchell Technical College. This year’s recipients are Agronomy student Carson Hinker, son of Jeremy and Renee Hinker of Fedora, and Agricultural Business student Alyssa Johnson, daughter of Jeremy and Blanche Johnson of Plankinton.
District Scholarships
The Central Electric board of directors authorized District Scholarships to be awarded to students from each county. Eligible students must be the dependent of a cooperative member, they must apply for the Basin Electric scholarship and they must plan to enroll full-time at a post-secondary school this fall.
District 1 Aurora County did not have any District Scholarship applicants this year.
The District 2 Brule County $500 scholars are Kimball High School seniors Cadence Konechne, daughter of Kelly and Kayla Konechne of Kimball, and Sydney Stahl, daughter of Bryson and Megan Miller of Kimball. Konechne plans to study Chemical Engineering at Iowa State University. Stahl plans to study Biology at Dordt University.
The District 3 Buffalo County $500 scholar is Wessington Springs High School senior Remie Roduner, daughter of Steve and Jennifer Roduner of Miller. Roduner plans to study Psychology at South Dakota State University.
The District 4 Davison County $500 scholars are Mitchell High School senior Olivia Prunty, daughter of John and Melissa Prunty of Mitchell, and Ethan High School senior Marissa Storm, daughter of Jared and Leah Storm of Ethan. Prunty plans to study Nursing at Dakota Wesleyan University. Storm plans to study Elementary Education at Dordt University.
The District 5 Hanson County $500 scholars are Bridgewater-Emery High School senior Landon Berg, son of Bob and Heidi Berg of Emery, and Mitchell High School senior Madelyn Childs, daughter of Joe and Mindy Childs of Mitchell. Berg plans to study Animal Science at Northwest College. Childs plans to study Exercise Science at Augustana University.
The District 6 Jerauld County $500 scholars are Wessington Springs High School senior Luke Larson, son of Charley and Sarah Larson of Woonsocket, and Huron High School senior Hailey Rogers, daughter of Nicole Rogers and Eric Siemonsma of Alpena and Levi Rogers of Huron. Larson plans to study Electrical Construction and Maintenance at Mitchell Technical College. Rogers plans to study Elementary Education at Northern State University.
The District 7 Miner County $500 scholars are Howard High School seniors Caden Schwader, son of Dale and Kristi Schwader of Howard, and Kayleigh Schwader, daughter of Kevin and Ashley Schwader of Howard. Caden Schwader plans to study Business Administration at the University of South Dakota. Kayleigh Schwader plans to pursue Health Studies and Pre-Occupational Therapy at South Dakota State University.
The District 8 Sanborn County $500 scholars are Woonsocket High School seniors Jaylyn Grassel, daughter of Jared and Rebecca Grassel of Woonsocket, and Corey Roberts, son of Samuel and Jelitza Roberts of Woonsocket. Grassel plans to study Radiologic Technology at Mitchell Technical College. Roberts plans to study Biology at the University of South Dakota.
Central Electric is a member-owned cooperative serving mostly rural portions of Aurora, Brule, Buffalo, Davison, Hanson, Jerauld, Miner and Sanborn Counties. The cooperative also serves the towns of Aurora Center, Epiphany, Fort Thompson and Gann Valley. To learn more about Central Electric’s scholarships and youth programs, visit www.centralec.coop.