THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503100194
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
SOME LOCAL TEENS recently got a real taste of politics when they served as pages at the Capitol in Richmond.
Eight Virginia Beach students worked this winter running errands for the Senate, House of Delegates and governor. These students, who lived and worked in Richmond from early January into February, were picked from a pool of more than 400 applicants.
With such stiff competition, students said having connections helps get a spot. Most either have relatives who are current or past politicians, or are friends of delegates and senators.
``It's politics,'' said House page Peyton Hoffman, 14, a freshman at Norfolk Academy. ``It's all about who you know.''
Most of the teens got word of the program through their parents, or heard about it from students who had served as pages in the past. They had similar reasons for applying.
``I have an interest in politics,'' said House page Erin O'Brien, 14, a freshman at Cox High School, whose dad William R. ``Buster'' O'Brien, served in the House of Delegates in the 1970s and 1980s. ``I thought it would be a good learning experience.''
Others said meeting new people was a big incentive. ``I just heard it would be a good place to meet people,'' said Senate page Victor Clark, 15, a sophomore at Tallwood High School. ``I thought it would be a good place to make connections.''
The pay, complimentary hotel rooms, time off from school and freedom from parental supervision were added bonuses for most students. The Senate and House pages were allotted $125 a week for expenses and paid a weekly salary of $130 and $125, respectively. The Senate pages stayed in the Marriott, while the House pages lived at the Omni.
But the students soon realized it didn't all come free.
They followed a formal schedule on the weekdays, and the jobs weren't glamorous. Their work days, which involved filing, delivering papers and fetching lunches, generally ran from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Collating bills was one of their least favorite duties, especially when there were more than 100 to organize.
``It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to whatever you're doing,'' said House page Ashley Lanteigne, 13, an eighth-grader at Princess Anne Middle School. ``You have to be really nice and it takes a lot of patience. You're always doing something and you get frustrated.''
Uniforms of some kind or another were required. All pages wore dark-colored blazers, and while dress slacks were mandatory for the males, skirts were the requirement for the females.
After work, most students had a two-hour study hall, as well as a couple hours of free time to engage in some enjoyable pastimes - including the traditional friendly rivalry between opposing pages. They teased each other about who was better throughout their stay.
``In the House, we did 2 1/2 times more work,'' Erin said, poking fun at the Senate pages. She added that during a trip to the circus, the group of House pages screamed, ``House pages rule,'' during a quiet part of the performance.
The fun times were limited, however. ``Our schedule was tight,'' Victor said. ``There's no doubt about that.''
While a back log of homework was the main complaint, the pages consider their experience invaluable.
``You see all these people who are really powerful and you get to know them,'' Peyton said. ``It's really neat.''
Erin agreed: ``I was really proud to say I was 14, and I was working for the oldest legislative body in the New World.''
Students said the learning experience was equally as priceless.
``I can say I have a lot more respect for what the delegates do,'' Peyton said. ``I thought they just kind of sat back and said, `Here's a bill, lets vote on it.' Now I understand how much work they have to do.''
The pages learned a little life lesson as well, when they had to say goodbye to their new batch of friends. ``It was weird to think that just two months ago we didn't know these people,'' said 14-year-old Amy Becker, an eighth-grader at Norfolk Collegiate. ``After spending every second of the day with them, we know more about them than we know about our friends at home.'' ILLUSTRATION: Peyton Hoffman, a ninth-grader at Norfolk Academy, served in the
House of Delegates.
Erin O'Brien, a ninth-grader at Cox High, served in the House of
Delegates.
Cappy Sinclair, a ninth-grader at Cox High, served in the Senate.
Victor Clark, a 10th-grader at Tallwood High, served in the Senate.
Amy Becker, an eighth-grader at Norfolk Collegiate, served in House
of Delegates.
Abigail Higgins, an eighth-grader at Independence Middle, served in
the Senate.
Ashley Lanteigne, a Princess Anne Middle eighth-grader, served in
House of Delegates.
Kyle Korte, a ninth-grader at Cox High, served in the governor's
office.
by CNB