Jerry Coleman, Hailey Sarber, and Rozzy Ware traveled from their homes in Stanwood and Mount Vernon to spend a week paging for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. They were three of the 20 students who served as Senate pages for the third week of the 2020 legislative session.

Rozzy, 15, is the daughter of Kathy and Adam Ware and enjoys husbandry. “It’s a fun way to get involved,” she said. “The whole experience was really fun.”

The homeschooled tenth graders were sponsored by the 10th Legislative District Sen. Ron Muzzall, who serves Island County and parts of Skagit and Snohomish counties.

“It was awesome having the opportunity to sponsor a group of friends,” Muzzall said. “I hope this experience they had together is something they’ll remember fondly. It seemed that they all had a great time and learned a lot about the legislative process.”

Jerry, the son of Sarah and James Coleman, is 16 years old and enjoys riding the unicycle. “I loved every moment. Getting to know everyone on campus was really fun,” he said.

Hailey, 15, enjoys horseback riding and is the daughter of Craig and Linette Sarber. She explained, “I liked being on the floor. I was able to pick up on how the Senate operates.”

The Senate page program provides an opportunity for Washington students to spend a week working at the Legislature. Students transport documents between offices, as well as deliver messages and mail. Pages spend time in the Senate chamber and attend page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. Students also draft their own bills and engage in a mock session.

Students interested in the Senate Page Program are encouraged to visit: https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram/