HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2000-4675, by Representatives Fortunato, Hankins, McDonald, Schoesler, Radcliff, K. Schmidt, Mitchell, Carlson, Mastin, Mielke, Boldt, Conway, Kastama, Wolfe, DeBolt, Cox, Bush, Thomas, Esser, Lambert, B. Chandler, McMorris, Delvin, Schindler, Dunn, Koster, Van Luven, D. Sommers, Clements, Pennington, Mulliken, Wensman, Pflug, Haigh, Veloria, Edmonds, Kagi, Eickmeyer, Ogden, Lantz, D. Schmidt, Linville, Santos, Talcott and Parlette

       WHEREAS, Since 1891, outstanding young men and women from across the State of Washington have served as pages in the Washington State House of Representatives; and

       WHEREAS, Pages have the unique opportunity to meet and serve elected officials.  The pages provide an invaluable service to the House of Representatives by delivering documents and supplies, by answering telephone calls and delivering messages, and by presenting the flags at the beginning of each session; and

       WHEREAS, Each page must attend a two-hour orientation and training session before his or her term.  A page begins his or her tenure at 7:45 a.m. on Monday and concludes his or her experience at 5:00 p.m. on Friday of his or her designated week of service; and

       WHEREAS, All pages carry out their duties in a professional, courteous, and cheerful manner, helping make the legislative buildings more efficient and pleasant workplaces; and

       WHEREAS, The Basic Education Act declares that the primary goal for the schools of the State of Washington shall be to provide students with the opportunity to become responsible citizens.  The Washington State Commission on Student Learning has established four Essential Academic Learning Requirements in the area of civics to ensure that students meet this goal; and

       WHEREAS, The Legislative Page School has been restructured for this session to include an interactive, multidimensional curriculum that reflects the aims of the Basic Education Act.  Each page spends two hours each day in the Legislative Page School; and

       WHEREAS, The pages are actively involved in the legislative process, thereby creating a teachable moment.  The mission of the Legislative Page School is to take advantage of that learning opportunity by providing organized instruction to enhance the learning that occurs naturally during the page experience; and

       WHEREAS, Page School activities include:  Participating in a budget exercise, drafting bills and amendments, participating in a simulated legislature, attending guest speaker presentations, discussing legislative issues and current events, and keeping a daily journal of their experiences; and

       WHEREAS, Both the Page Program and the Legislative Page School provide valuable experiences that enable students to become informed citizens.  Pages then share these experiences with other students, teachers, and members of the community, thus contributing to a greater understanding of the legislative process for all citizens;

       NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and celebrate the tremendous contribution of the Page Program and of the Legislative Page School to civic education in the State of Washington.

           I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

          Resolution 4675 adopted by the House of Representatives

                             February 24, 2000.

________________________________               _____________________________

Timothy A. Martin, Co-Chief Clerk            Cynthia Zehnder, Co-Chief Clerk