Students can apply to be page in Congress

The congressman is inviting applications from eligible students in his district.

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire of McCandless, D-4th, announced today that 11th- and 12th-graders from Pennsylvania’s Fourth Congressional District are eligible to apply for an opening in the Congressional Page Program for the spring of 2010.

Congressional pages serve as support-staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, performing such duties as delivering legislative correspondence and monitoring phones off the House floor. Each semester, 66 students from a rotating list of congressional districts participate in the page program.

“Being a congressional page provides high-school students with an invaluable opportunity to see firsthand how their government works,” Altmire said. “During their time on Capitol Hill, pages will get to observe and play a role in the operations of the House. I encourage all students who love studying American government to consider applying to be a page this spring.”

Pages will serve from Jan. 24 to June 4, 2010. During their time in Washington, D.C., pages will live in the Page Residence Hall, a supervised dormitory on Capitol Hill. They also will attend classes at the House Page School, a fully accredited school that offers classes in math, English, social studies, science, French/Spanish and computer technology. The Page School also sponsors Washington seminars, featuring field trips and speakers.

Those interested in applying for the program must submit a completed application, official transcript, written essay, r sum of extracurricular activities, parental consent form and three letters of recommendation to Rep. Altmire’s office by Oct. 30.

Interested students can contact Carolyn Kahler with Rep. Altmire’s staff at carolyn.kahler@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-2565 for an application packet and additional information on the program.