Brody Coleman, 15, of Arlington, thought it would be a good learning experience to participate in the Senate Page Program. This led homeschooled Coleman to serve as a page Feb. 19-23. Sen. Val Stevens (R-Arlington) sponsored Coleman.
Having pages come to serve is a great help to the legislative staff, Stevens said. They learn so much in the week that they are here.
The Senate Page Program provides an opportunity for Washington students, ages 14-16, to go to the state Capitol for a week during legislative sessions. Pages are responsible for such tasks as running errands and delivering mail. Time is also spent by pages on the Senate floor and in page school learning about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. About 50 students per week participate in the program.
Colemans favorite part about paging was learning his way around the buildings and finding interesting new places. He also enjoyed learning how the Senate works by observing floor sessions.
During page school, students write their own bill to present it at a mock hearing. Coleman worked on a bill that would require elderly drivers to re-take driving tests.
In his spare time, Coleman enjoys graphic design and game programming on his computer. He is on two swim teams and his favorite race is the 200-meter breaststroke. Coleman also plays the piano and violin.
In the future, Coleman would like to attend college and perhaps go into the field of computer programming, but isnt quite sure yet.
Colemans advice to future pages is to bring your homework home so you dont have to study while paging. That makes it more fun.
Coleman is the son of James and Jan Coleman of Arlington.
Junior high and high schools students who are interested in the Senate Page Program can visit: www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram.