Rep. Richard DeBolt sponsors Northwest AllPrep student as House page
Asher Sympson, a homeschool student with Northwest AllPrep, traveled to Olympia recently to serve as a page in the state House of Representatives. He was sponsored by his 20th District Rep. Richard DeBolt.
“I was glad to sponsor Asher as a page. He was a real help to my office this week,” said DeBolt. “The kids who participate in this program often stay connected to state and local government throughout their lives. Perhaps, Asher will come back as a representative or senator someday. Whatever he does in the future, I'm sure he'll be successful.”
Asher, 15, is the son of James and Dianne Sympson. When the Glenoma resident is not studying, he enjoys participating in cross country, collecting knives, and kayaking. During his time as a page, Asher attended page school every day to understand the operations and actions of the Legislature. His time in Olympia culminated with the presentation of a mock bill to a “committee” made up of his fellow students.
Asher said he enjoyed his time at the state Capitol and would definitely recommend the experience to other students.
“Meeting and talking to the other kids and learning what they think was my favorite part of being here,” said Asher. “It was a really positive experience, all the legislators were friendly, nice and fun to work with.”
As part of his page duties, Asher learned to navigate the many buildings on the Capitol campus and delivered messages and documents to legislators and staff.
Each year, students from around the state apply to participate in the House 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. To learn more about the Gina Bull Page School Scholarship program click here or go to leg.wa.gov/PageSchool/Pages/GinaBullScholarshipFAQ.aspx. For more information on the page program go to leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx.
