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Ericksen sponsors Sumas
student as a legislative page in Olympia
Nooksack Valley
High School freshman spends a week in the Washington State House of
Representatives
Alicia De Bont served as a
legislative page in the Washington State House of Representatives for
Rep. Doug Ericksen. She is the daughter of Gary and Jolanda De Bont
of Sumas.
Alicia, 14, is a 9th-grader at Nooksack Valley High School. She served
as a page Feb. 25-29.
“I really enjoyed sponsoring Alicia. I've now had the
opportunity to sponsor both Alicia and her brother as pages," said
Ericksen, R-Ferndale. “I hope Alicia learned a lot from
her time in Olympia and that she shares the experiences with her peers
in Whatcom County. It is so important for our young men and women to
understand government and know that they can be our future
leaders.”
Young men and women have come to Olympia to serve as pages in the
Washington State House of Representatives for over a century. Selection
to be a page is an honor, as each House member may only sponsor two
pages each session.
As a page, Alicia’s responsibilities included delivering messages and
documents to legislators in their offices, committee meetings and House
chambers during floor sessions.
In addition to her assigned duties, Alicia continued her regular
schoolwork two hours a day and participated in the legislative page
school to learn about state government.
Pages must be sponsored by
a legislator and obtain permission from their parents and school. Most
pages live with volunteer host families while in Olympia.
For additional information about the House Page Program, families can
contact Ericksen at (360) 786-7980, or visit:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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