Special to The Hays Daily News

TOPEKA -- From July 27 to 30, four Kansas high school students traveled to Asheville, N.C., to participate in the 80th National Institute on Cooperative Education. Among them was Amber Kriley of Stockton High School. The group joined more than 130 youth and adults from 11 states around the country for the four-day youth leadership event.

Kriley was eligible to attend after receiving one of the highest test scores in her district on a cooperative test administered by vocational agriculture instructors. Sponsored by the Kansas Cooperative Council in Topeka in cooperation with the Kansas Association of FFA, the co-op exam tests high school students' knowledge about cooperatives, which students in Kansas learn about in their vocational agriculture classes. The students received certificates for outstanding achievement on the Cooperative Basics Test on May 29 during the Kansas State FFA convention in Manhattan.

Kriley is the daughter of Chris and Julie Kriley, Stockton. The students were accompanied by Shane Austin, FFA instructor from Stockton High School, and Natalie Nickel of Hutchinson, a Kansas Cooperative Council staff member. While in Asheville, they stayed on the University of North Carolina-Asheville campus.

During the four-day event, students received a deeper understanding of cooperatives. In a team setting, they served as managers of a simulated cooperative store, developed their own cooperative ideas, and competed with other stores in their market area for sales and profit. They also toured the Biltmore House, the largest private home in America, one of North Carolina's most unique historic landmarks.

Kansas Cooperative Council Executive Director Leslie Kaufman said her organization has sponsored the co-op test for the last 23 years. In the past, winners from across Kansas have attended NICE in such places as Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, St. Louis, Lexington, Ky., Anaheim, Calif., and Shippensburg, Pa. The cooperative council pays for the students' registration, lodging and travel expenses.

"Many people have the misconception that co-ops operate only in rural areas," Kaufman says. "However, cooperatives operate in every industry and range in size from small storefronts to Fortune 500 companies. In all, U.S. cooperatives serve 120 million members across the nation."

To learn more about the Kansas Cooperative Council and the teaching unit "Understanding Cooperatives," a complete teaching guide for educators, contact Kaufman at (888) 603-2667 or leslie@kansasco-op.coop.

Established in 1944 and headquartered in Topeka, the Kansas Cooperative Council promotes and supports the interests, business success and understanding of agricultural, utility, credit and consumer cooperatives and their members through legislation and regulatory efforts, education and public relations.