How to Be a House Page

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:HousePage
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How to Be a House Page

Introduction

The U.S. House of Representatives Page Program provides high school juniors with an opportunity to learn firsthand how the House of Representatives operates. Congressional pages see Congress in action while assisting as support staff. Duties include delivering materials, answering phones and preparing for House floor sessions. It is often a life-changing event to serve as a page. Follow these steps to get started.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Steps

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Step One

Make certain that you are a junior in high school with at least a 3.0 GPA. You must be at least 16 years old when you begin the page program.
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Step Two

Contact your district Representative to obtain an application. You are required to fill out a general application and a parent permission form along with providing an official high school transcript.
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Step Three

Provide three letters of recommendation. Community leaders, teachers and employers are good candidates to write letters of recommendation.
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Step Four

Write an essay on why you want to be a page. Do your best on this letter as your Representative will recommend just one person to the Page Board, which ultimately decides who will be accepted to fill the up to 72 positions available.
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Step Five

Prepare to live at the Page Residence Hall near the Capitol while serving as a page. A strict code of conduct and curfew must be followed. Pages who live near Washington, D.C., can elect to live at home, but only during the House's less intensive summer session.
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Step Six

Supply your own House page uniform of navy blazers, long-sleeved white shirts or blouses and dark-gray slacks. Females have the options of wearing dark gray skirt with nylons instead of slacks. All pages wear black dress shoes.
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Step Seven

Plan on attending a very demanding school program in addition to your page duties during the school year. In 2005, the College Board ranked the House Page School as first in the nation among schools with fewer than 500 students. School operates around the House of Representatives schedule, and homework may be done during quiet moments at work. Students take the SAT and ACT college-entrance exams plus Advanced Placement (AP) tests.

Tips & Warnings

  • Plan ahead if you're interested in the page program. Congressional members are usually granted the ability to recommend only one page every two to four years.
  • If your Representative doesn't anticipate being granted a page during the time period you are interested in, contact both Senators representing your state about opportunities. There are approximately half as many Senate pages as House pages.
  • Pages can work for an academic year, a semester or during the summer session.
  • House pages earn about $18,000 annually.
  • House pages must adhere to very strict conduct standards and closely monitored living arrangements, following changes made to the House Page Program in response to scandals associated with sexual harassment and abuse in recent years.
  • Being a page is a unique experience that often involves long work hours. Expect to have sore feet from being on the move all day.
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