Miss Rose leading the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Virginia Senate Page Program (and its corresponding program in the House of Delegates) is a prestigious leadership development opportunity for 13-14 year olds in the Commonwealth. Each year over 200 applicants compete for the 36 spots available; they hope for the chance to serve as backup clerk, answer phones, obtain signatures, retrieve/deliver bill copies, assist the general public, distribute floor and committee amendments, and provide basic concierge services to visiting delegations. Selected students do all of this while maintaining their normal school load, and completing 4-6 hours per week of course work on leadership development and the legislative process. In order to do all this, the pages live in Richmond, away from home for most of the week during the entire legislative session (46 days long in odd numbered years and 60 days long in even numbered years). Though challenging, it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime, transformational experience that few receive.
We are elated to announce that Redeemer has a student that’s participating in the Page Program right now. Vera Rose, a 7th grader, was selected and is currently serving in Richmond. Before she left, we asked Vera what she was most excited about and this was her response:
"I am excited to go to the Virginia Senate Page program because I think it will open lots of new opportunities for me to meet new people and the legislators. I want to learn how they make bills into laws, and how they process everything, and how the government works. Being able to learn more about the legislative process in our Commonwealth will make me a better-informed voter when that time comes. I’m going to be working with other pages from across the Commonwealth and I’m excited to meet them and hopefully form lifelong friendships with them throughout this program. I'm excited to represent Redeemer as a Senate Page!"
We certainly are excited, too. And we’re proud of the hard work that Vera has put into making this possible. We’re confident that she is representing Redeemer, her family, and the Lord well in Richmond. Next time you see Vera, be sure to congratulate her and to ask her how she’s doing. We can’t wait to hear all about her time in the Senate Page Program!
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“The mission of the [Virginia] Senate Page Program is to facilitate a structured environment in which young Virginians accept responsibility and accountability, develop professional characteristics through strict standards of conduct and engage in the legislative process through work, observation and discussion.” To learn more about the Senate and House Page Program, visit their website here.