FPD fifth grader Ren Harden recently spent a day at the Georgia State Capitol serving as a Page. He found out it takes a sharp memory and patience to serve our Representatives. Below are his thoughts on a day at the Capitol.
How were you selected to serve as a Page?
My grandfather is State Representative Buddy Harden. The way to begin the process for applying to be a page during the General Assembly is to go to the website www.house.ga.gov and follow the directions found under the “House Page Program” tab. The website explains everything you must do to participate. Session runs from January to March every year and it is important to get your application in to secure a spot.
What do you do as a Page?
Deliver messages to the Representatives from the lobbyists who are outside of the chamber while the Representatives are in session. A page sometimes has to wait and bring a reply from the Representative back to the lobbyist outside.
What was your favorite part of the experience?
a. Chick-fil-a lunch provided to all of the pages!
b. Meeting kids from other parts of the state who were participating in the House Page Program.
Do you a see a career in politics in your future? If so, what would you like to do and why?
I do not think I will actively pursue politics as a career but I did enjoy learning more about the law making process in our state.
Any advice for other students who might want to serve as Pages?
a. Be prepared to remember directions well. Sometimes you have to remember messages from the legislator rather than it being written down.
b. Patience is important also, sometimes the session can run late into the afternoon/evening and you have been there since early in the morning. If there are a lot of pages participating on the day you are there, you must also wait your turn to help.