12/01/10 State Senator Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) today invited area middle and high school students to make the Indiana Statehouse their “classroom for a day” by serving as Senate pages during the 2011 Indiana General Assembly.
Charbonneau said pages have the opportunity to spend a day at the Statehouse working with their senator and Senate staff in the upcoming legislative session, which runs from Wednesday, Jan. 5 to Friday, April 29.
“Students who page learn about the legislative process through observation and participation,” Charbonneau said. “By interacting firsthand with legislators and staff, state government is brought to life. Pages get to see lawmakers introduce bills, debate and vote on important issues, all while meeting other students from Indiana.”
Interested students should submit page requests as soon as possible in a letter or e-mail. The student’s name – as it would appear on a certificate – address, home telephone number, age and school affiliation should be included with requests. Friends wanting to page on the same day should send requests together. Specific date requests will be considered, but may not be possible.
Charbonneau said the Senate’s page office will confirm the scheduled date after processing incoming requests.
To be a page for Sen. Charbonneau, e-mail requests to Senator.Charbonneau@iga.in.gov or send by U.S. Mail to:
State Sen. Ed Charbonneau
Indiana Senate
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Participating as a page is an excused absence from school. Pages must arrive at the Statehouse by 8:30 a.m. to begin their day in orientation. They then tour the historic Statehouse and observe proceedings in either committee rooms or the Senate Chamber.
Parents are responsible for transportation and student pages provide their own lunches, which can be economically priced at the Government Center Cafeteria, Circle Centre Mall or one of the many downtown restaurants.
For additional information, Charbonneau said to visit www.in.gov/senator.charbonneau or call 1-800-382-9467.
