7th District lawmaker sponsors youth from Nine Mile Falls, Deer Park, Lincoln County, and Republic

Rep. Shelly Short hosted four local students at the state Capitol as legislative pages during the 2012 legislative session. All four youth reside in Short’s 7th Legislative District:

· Kelly Riddle, 15, is the daughter of Lisa and Rob Riddle of Nine Miles Falls. She is a 10th-grader at Northwest Christian School. Kelly paged Jan. 30 – Feb. 3.

· Emma Tate, 14, is the daughter of Emily and James Tate of Deer Park. She attends Riverside High School and is in 9th grade. Emma was in Olympia Feb. 12 – 17.

· Nina Klein, 15, is the daughter of Jan and Mark Klein who live in Lincoln County. She is a 10th-grader at Christian Heritage School. Nina paged Feb. 26 – March 1.

· Tyler Weyer, 16, is the son of Tara Weyer of Republic. He attends Republic High School and is in 11th grade. Tyler was at the state Capitol this week – March 4 – 8.

The students attended page school each day to learn more about legislative processes and the Legislature. They also had an opportunity to sponsor mock bills with their fellow students from around the state and distributed documents to state lawmakers throughout the Capitol campus – including the House floor and committee rooms.

“The House Page Program is an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about state government and experience the legislative process firsthand. It’s something that can’t be replicated in the classroom or online,” said Short, R-Addy. “Hosting local students is always exciting for me each year. I enjoy hearing about their experiences and what they’ve learned. They bring an energy and enthusiasm to Olympia that is really appreciated.”

Short said she was especially impressed with this year’s pages and heard several remarks from other legislators about the maturity and work ethic of the students from her district.

“We all see a lot of students from all over the state serve as legislative pages throughout the year. But I had several lawmakers tell me how impressed they were about the way students from the Seventh District went about their business in committee and on the House floor,” Short said. “Most of the pages that come from my district are involved in 4-H, Future Farmers of America, the Boy or Girl Scouts, or other community or church-based organizations. Their desire to serve others efficiently and with respect is very evident. I couldn’t be more proud of how the students represented their families, schools and communities.”

Young men and women have come to Olympia to serve as pages for the Washington State Legislature since 1891. Pages must:

· be between the ages of 14 and 16;

· obtain permission from their parents and schools; and

· have acceptable grades.

Most pages stay with local volunteer host families while in the Olympia area. More information about the House Page Program can be found at: https://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx.

For more information on Rep. Short, please visit: https://houserepublicans.wa.gov/members/shelly-short/.

Rep. Short can be contacted at (360) 786-7908, or in her district office when the Legislature is not in session at (509) 775-8047or shelly.short@leg.wa.gov.

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For more information contact Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7698

 

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