Curtis High School student serves as page in the state House of Representatives
Grant Schmidtke, a student at Curtis High School, served as a legislative page for the state House of Representatives the week of March 13 – 17. He was co-sponsored by 13th District Rep. Tom Dent and 28th District Rep. Dick Muri.
“I am glad Grant came to Olympia to get a firsthand look at how the Legislature works,” said Dent, R-Moses Lake. “I like to see students engaged in the political process and getting a better understanding of the issues we are working on. I hope he enjoyed his time at the Capitol.”
“The page program is a unique opportunity for students to learn about, and serve, in their state government. Grant is an exceptional young man,” said Muri, R-Steilacoom. “I enjoyed meeting with him and discussing his plans for the future. Who knows, maybe someday he will run for office.”
Grant is the son of Ken and Judy Schmidtke. He enjoys photography and swimming.
As part of his page duties, Grant learned to navigate the many buildings on the Capitol Campus and delivered messages and documents to legislators and staff. Each day, he attended page school for several hours to understand the operations and actions of the Legislature. As part of his school assignment, Grant wrote an essay on the complexities of governing.
Each year, students from around the state apply to participate in the legislative page program. Students spend a week attending page school, learning the inner workings of state government and assisting legislators on the House floor. Pages earn $35 per day while serving in the program. To become a page, applicants must have a legislative sponsor, be between the ages of 14 to 16, and obtain written permission from their parents and school.
House page, Grant Schmidtke and Rep. Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, 2017.
House page, Grant Schmidtke and Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, 2017.
