Each year young men and women come to Washington D.C. to serve as Pages in the U.S. House of Representatives. To be eligible the student must be 16 years of age at the time of the appointment, have a "B" average or better, and be willing to serve as a page for at least one month preceding or following their Junior Year in High School. The definition of a "B" average is a 3.0 on a 4-point scale, or an 80 or better on a 100-point scale. Applicants should submit a completed application to their Member of Congress for review and recommendation. The Speaker's Office will not accept applications from students directly; ONLY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS MAY FORWARD AN APPLICATION.
Please contact Congressman Bartlett's Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-2721 for an application.
An official transcript of all grades (from 9th grade through at least the first semester of the current year) is required to verify the cumulative grade point average of "B" or better in the major courses. Only grades in the following subject areas will be included in the GPA tally: English, science, mathematics, social studies, and foreign language -- ELECTIVES ARE NOT INCLUDED.
Along with the application from and transcript, the following items are required: social security number, a signed parental consent form, a 50-100 word essay on why the student wants to become a Page, a resume of extra-curricular activities, three letters of recommendation, and a letter of support from the sponsoring Member of Congress.
For School Semester Pages, classes begin promptly at 6:45am, with classes lasting until approximately 9:00am when the House is in Session and 11:30am when the House is not in session, and extends to at least 5:00pm., or until the House adjourns for the day -- whichever is later. The Pages report to their Page Supervisor where the first order of the day may be filing the Congressional Record from the previous day's proceedings. The Pages serve primarily as messengers, delivering legislative materials between the various buildings of Capitol Hill. During the course of the day, the Pages accumulate points for "runs" (or deliveries). Those with the highest number of points may be excused early when the House goes into late-night sessions.
The dress required for males is a navy blazer, long sleeved white shirt; dark gray slacks, dark socks, dark shoes, and a standard issue tie are required. The ties, which are provided during orientation, are navy with red and white stripes.
Pages are required to live at the Page Residence Hall, under the supervision of a director, assistant director, and four proctors who reside on the premises. Male and female students have separate quarters.
The triple rooms are furnished with twin beds, dressers, desks, and chairs. Each of the rooms has a large walk-in closet, a study area, toll-controlled telephone, private bathroom, and three air-conditioning units. A community room with color television is available as well as other shared facilities -- kitchen, laundry room, study room, computer room, and fitness room.
In the 2006-07 year, the pages are paid approximately $1,568 gross per month, with an automatic payroll deduction of $400 to cover the cost of the dorm and five breakfasts, five lunches, and seven dinners per week. They are responsible for their transportation to and from Washington and their uniform. In addition, a one-time refundable security deposit of $100 payable to the U.S. Treasury is required for the dorm.
IMPORTANT: PAGES ARE EMPLOYEES FOR THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, and are an important part of the legislative process. Before making your decision to become a page, it is imperative that you understand that all family activities, as well as home school and community activities, which would interrupt your Page School and/or work activities must be put on hold until you are no longer a Page. Pages will not be permitted to return home to attend family reunions, parent promotion ceremonies, family trips, home school activities such as conferences, sports events, prom, etc., if they occur during the work week.
