Rep. Lynda Wilson sponsors page in state House

Alyssa Peterson, a student at Cedar Tree Classical Christian School, traveled to Olympia February 22 to serve as a page in the state House of Representatives. She was sponsored by 17th district Rep. Lynda Wilson.

As a page, Alyssa learned to navigate the many buildings on the Capitol campus and delivered messages and documents to legislators and staff. She assisted Representatives on the House floor during voting and participated in ceremonial duties at the beginning of each day. She also spent a few hours every day attending page school to understand the operations and actions of the Legislature, often from Representatives themselves.

“It was an honor to sponsor Alyssa, she is a very bright individual. I have heard the stories of many pages who become pillars in their community or run for public office themselves, and I’m excited to see what Alyssa does with this experience” said Wilson, R-Vancouver. “I’m grateful for her service and hope she enjoyed Olympia.’

Applying all she had learned during the week, Alyssa co-wrote a bill designed to restructure the juvenile court system for a mock committee hearing as a type of culminating project. Her bill, presented to her fellow pages, would separate juvenile offenders by age and add those 18 to 21 years old to the juvenile system

Alyssa is involved in theatre and drama at Cedar Tree. She also enjoys tutoring and teaching pre-k at her church.

Each year, students from around the state, like Alyssa, 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 Rep. Wilson, visit: www.representativelyndawilson.com