Currently, sixty-six young men and woman
are appointed by their Members of Congress
to serve as pages in the U.S. House.
To be eligible for the school year, applicants
must be at least 16 years of age at the time
their appointment begins, be in their junior
year of high school, and have a cumulative
grade point average of "B" or better
in all major courses to date. The program
is available to juniors in high school for
those applying for the school year
(Students should apply when they are sophomores for their junior
years). The summer program is available to those who have completed
either their sophomore or junior year. Applicants
should submit a complete application to their Member of Congress.
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 major courses. Only the grades in the
following subject areas will be counted: English, science, mathematics,
social studies and foreign languages - electives are not included.
Along with the application form, the following items are required: Social Security
number, signed parental consent form, official transcript of all high school grades to
date (from 9th grade through the first semester of current year), a 50-100 word essay on
why you want to be a page, a resume of extracurricular activities, three letters of
recommendation and a letter of support from the sponsoring Member of Congress.
In Washington, beginning at 6:45 a.m., the school-year pages attend
five 40-minute classes at Page School. Located on the third floor
of the Library of Congress Jefferson Building, the Page School is accredited
by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Summer
pages do not attend school.
Five courses are selected from the current school curriculum, which
consists of: American, British or World Literature (all with composition),
or Humanities; Algebra II/Trig, Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus or Pre-Calculus;
Physics or Chemistry; U.S. History of Government and Politics; Intermediate
or Advanced French or Spanish. First-year language
courses are not offered nor are Advanced Placement classes. In addition,
all school-year pages participate on alternate Saturdays in a Washington
seminar program called WISP (Washington Interdisciplinary Studies Program).
The workday begins immediately following the last class (at 9:00 a.m.
for summer pages) and extends to at least 5:00 p.m., 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 the filing
of 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 requirement for males is navy blazer, long sleeved white shirt,
dark grey slacks, dark socks, and a standard issue tie. For females,
a navy blazer, long sleeves white blouse, dark grey skirt or dark grey
pants, dark shoes, appropriate hosiery, and standard tie that is provided
during orientation is navy with red and white stripes.
All pages live at the Page Residence Hall (O'Neill Building directly
behind the Cannon Building), 300 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., under the supervision
of a resident manager and five proctors who reside on the premises. The
third floor is set aside for males and the fourth floor for females. The
pages agree in writing to abide by a strict Code of Conduct which includes
a curfew of 10 p.m. on week nights and 12 midnight on weekends.
The triple rooms are furnished with twin beds, night stands, dressers,
desks and chairs. Each of the rooms has a large walk-in closet,
a study area, toll-controlled telephone, a small refrigerator, private
bathroom and two air-conditioning units. A community room with
color television and a microwave oven is available on each floor as well
as a laundry room in the basement.
The pages are paid $1,049 gross per month with an automatic payroll
deduction of $300 to cover the cost of the dorm and five dinners weekly. They
are responsible for their transportation to and from Washington, their
uniform, breakfast (other than cafeteria-style provided to the school-year
pages) and lunch on weekdays, weekend meals, school supplies and all
incidental expenses. In addition, a one-time, refundable security
deposit of $100 payable to the U.S. Treasury is required for the dorm.