STATEHOUSE (Dec. 18, 2012) — State Sen. Jim Merritt (R-Indianapolis) invites area middle school and high school students to spend a day at the Statehouse and serve as Senate pages during the 2013 legislative session, which runs from Jan. 7 to April 29.

“Students in our area are fortunate enough to have the Statehouse in their ‘backyard,’” Merritt said. “I encourage local families to take advantage of that and sign these young Hoosiers up to participate in the Senate page program, where they can make the State Capitol their classroom for a day.”

Interested students should submit page requests as soon as possible by visiting www.in.gov/senatepageprogram. Requests may also be emailed to Senator.Merritt@iga.in.gov or mailed to the following address:

               State Sen. Jim Merritt

               Indiana Senate

               200 W. Washington St.

               Indianapolis, IN 46204

All requests need to include the student’s name, address, home telephone number, age and school affiliation.

Friends wanting to page on the same day should send requests together. Merritt said specific date requests will be considered, but may not be possible. The Senate’s page office will confirm the scheduled date after processing the incoming requests.

Participating as a page is an excused absence from school. Pages must arrive at the Statehouse by 8:30 a.m. to begin their orientation. They will then tour the historic Statehouse and observe legislative proceedings in committee rooms or the Senate chamber.

Parents are responsible for pages’ transportation to and from the Statehouse, and pages should plan on bringing a lunch or money to buy a meal. Food can be purchased at the Government Center Cafeteria, Circle Centre Mall or one of the many downtown restaurants near the Statehouse.         

For additional information on the Senate page program, visit Merritt’s website at www.in.gov/Senator.Merritt or call 1-800-382-9467. 

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