Wenatchee High School student Jacob Ritzke traveled to Olympia and served as a page in the state House of Representatives the week of March 25-29. He was sponsored by his 12th District Rep. Keith Goehner.

“It is great to see students from the 12th District have the opportunity to serve as pages in the Capitol. Jacob represented his school and district exceptionally well. It is encouraging to see young people have such an interest in the Legislature and state government,” said Goehner, R-Dryden. “Paging is a great experience and I am looking forward to seeing more students paging in the future.”

Jacob is the son of Dan and Billie Ritzke. He likes guitar, robotics and rocketry.

The page program is designed to educate students about the legislative process and expose them to the work being done at their state Capitol. Jacob learned to navigate the many buildings on the Capitol Campus while delivering messages and documents to legislators and staff. Pages also assist representatives on the House floor during debate and voting.

During their week-long service, pages work on a culminating project and write a piece of legislation, then present the bill in a mock committee hearing to fellow pages. They also 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 and 16, and obtain written permission from their parents and school.

The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn April 28.