Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, encourages high school juniors to seize a rare opportunity to spend a week working behind the scenes at the Capitol as a legislative page.
Applications to the high school page program are now open for the 2019 session, with a Nov. 28 deadline. High school pages attend meetings with legislators, constitutional officers, members of the judiciary and others. Pages also assist members and staff during House floor sessions, participate in mock committee hearings and more. Twelve week-long slots are available from early February until mid-May and stipends are available to defray expenses.
“Students who participate in this program seem to come away with a whole new level of understanding as to how our Legislature operates,” Urdahl said. “The page program really is an active learning experience and participants come away with memories to last a lifetime and make new acquaintances that could assist them in future endeavors. It always is nice to see local faces among the page participants, so I hope students from our area give this program a look.”
The House of Representatives page program has been in place for more than 40 years and Minnesota is one of only a select few states in the nation to offer this program, providing young people with such an in-depth look into state government.
Program participants are selected through a formal process which includes an application, faculty recommendation and an essay.
More information is available by logging on to www.house.mn and clicking the “High School Page Program” link near the bottom of the site, or by calling (651) 296-7452. Local schools also can provide further assistance.