Josephine Akiniosotu, a student from Federal Way High School, and Joy Ellis, a student from Sacajawea Middle School, traveled to Olympia March 2-6 and served as pages in the state House of Representatives. They were sponsored by 30th District Rep. Linda Kochmar, R-Federal Way.

“The ability to teach our students about how our state government operates is important to schools and for promoting civic engagement amongst our youth,” Kochmar said. “I am grateful for their service this week, and I hope they made lasting friendships with the other pages.”

During their time as pages, Josephine and Joy attended page school every day to understand the operations and actions of the Legislature. Their time at the Capitol culminated with the presentation of their mock bill addressing the issue of accessibility to abortions.

As part of their page duties, they learned to navigate the many buildings on the Capitol campus and delivered messages and documents to legislators and staff.

Each year, students from around the state apply to participate in the legislative page program. Students spend a week attending page school, learning the inner workings of state government and assisting legislators on the House floor. Pages earn $35 per day while serving in the program.

To become a page, applicants must have a legislative sponsor, be between the ages of 14 and 16, and obtain written permission from their parents and school. For more information about the legislative page program, visit www.leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx.