Senate and House Page Programs

Learn about the House of Delegates Page Program further down this page. Senate Page Program information is immediately below.

Senate of Virginia Page Program Application

The Prospective Senate Page Portal contains a link to the application and information that will answer the most frequently asked questions.

If you have any questions, please e-mail: pageinfo@senate.virginia.gov

Senate Page Program Overview

Introduction:

The Senate Page Program is a dynamic, engaging and educational experience that honors and preserves the tradition of service to the legislature. Senate Pages have served the upper chamber of the legislature since at least 1850.

The experience today is designed to provide a foundation of knowledge for the next generation of administrators, managers, elected-officials and civic leaders. Structured similar to a college preparatory program, organized learning activities compliment the day-to-day duties of all Senate Pages. Members of each class are expected to fully participate in all program components with a positive, respectful, and can-do attitude. Failure to do so will result in dismissal.

The mission of the Senate Page Program is to facilitate a structured environment in which young Virginians accept responsibility and accountability, develop professional characteristics through strict standards of conduct and engage in the legislative process through work, observation and discussion.

 

Program Components:

The Senate Page Program is structured around three primary components:

The Responsible Young Professional: Each Senate Page will be tasked with various job assignments such as staffing committee meetings (in a backup clerk capacity), answering telephone calls, providing basic concierge services and speaking to the public or visiting delegations about their experience and role in the legislative process. Assignments are delegated to the Senate Page class using a team approach with an emphasis on exceptional standards of service.

The Evolving Leader: The class will engage in team building scenarios designed to enhance leadership and decision-making skills. Our professional development track centers on topics relevant to young adults today. In addition to meeting elected officials, we immerse the class in sessions pertaining to etiquette, money management, cyber security, current events, and life after the Senate Page Program. Weekly reading and journaling is also required.

The Civic-Minded Young Adult: Senate Page service extends beyond the confines of Capitol Square. Each class is required to complete a community service project as a team. The Senate Page Program partners with a local non-profit group that serves approximately three-dozen counties across the Commonwealth.

The education acquired through these components serves as preparation for the program capstone. The capstone is a mock legislative session, a one-hour debate in which the class will demonstrate what they learned about the legislative process. Senate Pages switch roles with legislators to openly debates topics on which they voted in mock committee. Legislators serve the mock floor session in a Senate Page-like capacity.

 

Program Schedule and Absenteeism from School:
Pursuant to the Constitution of Virginia, the legislature convenes on the second Wednesday in January for 46 calendar days in odd-numbered years and 60 calendar days in even-numbered years. Those who receive admission to the Senate Page Program report each Sunday evening and depart each Friday at Noon during the legislative session. Residency in a hotel is required. Admission to the program requires a full commitment on the part of the student and his/her parents for the duration of a legislative session.

Admission to the Senate Page Program is an excused absence from school. Absenteeism for Senate Pages is addressed in sections 8VAC20-110-40 and 8VAC20-110-50 of the Virginia Administrative Code. If you are selected to the program, your school will need to make the appropriate notation in their records system.

Requirements for Consideration:
Applicants should discuss the program requirements and demands as a family prior to starting the application. In addition, the applicant must also discuss the program with the appropriate school personnel such as principals, school counselors and teachers.

Applicants seeking admission must be 13 or 14 years of age on the first day of session (second Wednesday in January) and a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

All components of the online application must be completed by the applicant, with the assistance of parents/legal guardians.

 

Application Review, Selection and Notification:
Members of the Senate, on a rotating basis, along with Senate leaders, appoint 26 Senate Pages each session. Additional Senate Pages are appointed by the Clerk of the Senate. This process is very different than the House Page Program, so decisions are typically released in mid-December. All applicants will receive notification from the Senate Clerk’s Office.

 

Graduates from the Senate Page Program are well-positioned for consideration into high school and college leadership programs; in particular, those facilitated by the Sorenson Institute of Political Leadership at University of Virginia, programs administered through the American Legion, and the U.S. Senate Page Program.

 

 

Virginia House of Delegates Page Program

Overview:

Welcome to the Virginia House of Delegates Page Program! We invite you to explore and learn more about this popular program for youth focusing on civics education, the lawmaking process, and leadership development. As a non-partisan staff member of the House Clerk’s Office, Pages are an integral part of an institution with a long-standing tradition of providing outstanding support and customer service to state legislators and those they represent. Since 1847, this educational program has been helping youth become more engaged citizens and effective leaders.

Each year, the Speaker of the House of Delegates appoints 13- and 14-year-olds from across the Commonwealth to work in the House Clerk’s Office as House Pages during the Regular Session of the Virginia General Assembly. They assist the Delegates and staff in the House Clerk’s Office in performing a wide variety of daily duties required for the successful operation of the House.

Core Components:

The House Page curriculum and experiences are developed around three core components:

• 1. Civics Education and Curriculum:
• • - The comprehensive study of the legislative process
  • - Understanding how the law-making process works
  • - Meeting with officials from all branches of state government
  • - Most importantly, participating in the Page Debate in the House Chamber

• 2. Leadership Development (Personal and Professional):
• • - Goal setting for success
  • - Learning time-management and money-management, along with public speaking and overall communication skills
  • - Civility and diversity training
  • - Professional etiquette
  • - Community service project

• 3. Daily work experiences:
• • Overall daily job experience includes working in committees, on the House floor in the Capitol and various departments in the House Clerk's Office.
  • Learning overall capitol history while working in a national historic landmark.
  • Participating in the oldest continuous legislative body in the Western Hemisphere.

Program Schedule:

On a typical workday (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM) each week, Page work assignments include delivering documents to officials throughout the Capitol, General Assembly Building and around Capitol Square; performing office errands on behalf of House Members and the Clerk’s Office; working in various staff sections within the Clerk’s Office; and completing an array of needed tasks to ensure the smooth running of daily House committee meetings and Floor sessions in the House Chamber in the Capitol. Pages are trained for these duties and responsibilities during their employment before Session starts.

Following the workday, Pages have two hours of “free time” (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM) reserved for eating dinner at nearby restaurants or ordering from delivery services. A mandatory evening Study Hall is held at the hotel Monday through Thursday from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. During this time, certified teachers supervise the Pages and assist them, as needed, but these educators do not provide classroom instruction and do not administer or proctor testing. Prior to starting as a House Page and during its duration (7 weeks in odd-numbered years; 9 weeks in even-numbered years), Pages and their parents are responsible for arranging with their schools and teachers the preferred method of submitting completed school assignments and exams during this extended / excused absence. While at their daily work assignments, Pages remain under the supervision of the Page Program Coordinators and monitored by the Page Program Chaperones during evening hotel stays.

Application Requirements:

For those interested in this truly one-of-a-kind extended educational and residential experience, applicants must be: 13 or 14 years old by January 14, 2026; in good academic standing; and in cooperative agreement with their school administrators and teachers for program participation. Selected participants will be working in an approximately 40-hour per week paid position as a House Page while also having to maintain his/her individual school assignments and examinations.

Serving as a House Page is a unique and immersive learning opportunity that requires lots of careful planning, hard work, self-initiative, personal responsibility, and a positive attitude. Success in this program depends upon and requires active collaboration and close cooperation by Pages with a strong support network that includes their peers in the program, families, teachers, the House Page Program supervisory staff, and House Clerk’s Office professionals.

The House Page Program Overview & FAQs contains additional program information for your planning purposes and application submission. Please review carefully the information included in the FAQ document because it provides considerable details and more context about the program.

If you have further questions on the application process or overall program, please email HousePageInfo@house.virginia.gov or contact the House Clerk's Office at (804) 698-1619.

Please read BEFORE applying:

Discuss the program requirements with your parents. Participation in the Page Program requires a major commitment for both you and your parents.

• While serving as a Page, you will be required to live in a residential setting with your fellow Pages, work a full-time job serving the Delegates and Staff of the Virginia House of Delegates in a non-partisan manner, and keep up with your schoolwork on an independent basis. Due to program requirements and day and evening activities, you will not be able to participate in weekly extracurricular school activities. Please consider your willingness to accept and adapt to this type of environment before applying.
• The Speaker of the House of Delegates reviews all fully completed applications after the closing date on Friday, October 18, 2024 at 5:00 PM and makes the selection of Pages for the 2025 Session. It is your responsibility to make sure that all requested application information is submitted. Typically, applicants will be notified by email before Thanksgiving.
• You will be able to monitor whether your application is “complete” by following the directions for completing your application. Applicants with incomplete applications will not be considered for Page appointments.
• Please retain all sign-on information during the application process.

House of Delegates Page Program Application

Thank you for your interest in the House of Delegates Page Program. The online application for the 2025 Page Program is now closed. The deadline for submitting applications was 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, October 18, 2024.

The application for the 2026 House Page Program will be available late summer 2025 on this web page.

Page applicants must be 13 or 14 years old on January 14, 2026 to be eligible for participation in the program.