Camas students work as legislative pages

Rep. Ann Rivers (R-La Center) hosted two Camas students as pages this legislative session in Olympia. Both students were at the state Capitol from Feb. 13 to 17.

Baylee Allen, 14, is the daughter of Lori and Tim Allen of Camas. She is an eighth-grader at Liberty Middle School.

Paige Bergstrom, 15, is the daughter of Chelese and Ed Bergstrom also of Camas. She is a River HomeLink student and in 10th grade.

The students attended page school each day to learn more about the Legislature and sponsored mock legislation with other students from across Washington state. They also distributed documents to state lawmakers throughout the Capitol campus.

“I really enjoyed sponsoring Baylee and Paige,” Rivers said. “Both of them had a great time in Olympia and hopefully learned a lot. I can’t say enough about the House Page Program and the real-world civics lesson it provides our students. It’s a great opportunity to get an up-close look at the Legislature.”

Students have come to Olympia to serve as pages in the Washington State Legislature since 1891. Pages must be ages 14 to 16, obtain permission from their parents and schools, and have acceptable grades. Most students stay with local volunteer host families while in Olympia.

For more information about the program, visit www.leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx.