A long-standing tradition amongst Senate page/messenger alumni is returning to the Capitol for one day in January to sit in the gallery, walk the halls through which they ran errands, and reminisce with friends, classmates, and staff. Should you be unable to attend the "reunion" with classmates, we welcome you to the Capitol throughout the year!
The Senate page/messenger alumni office is located in the Senate Legislative Information and Constituent Services office, room S 132, in the Capitol. We welcome the opportunity to have you visit in person, reminisce, and present you with a packet of materials for educators in your community.
The Senate of Virginia Page Program is a real-life civics class. Senate pages and messengers are engaged in the legislative process through work assignments, observation and hands-on activities. The Senate of Virginia Page Program is a life-changing experience.
Senate pages and messengers cannot be less than 13 nor more than 14 years of age at the time of election or appointment. They are elected or appointed for a term of one session and are not eligible for reelection or reappointment. In order to provide this opportunity for as many young people as possible, persons who have served as a page in the House of Delegates are not eligible to serve as a Senate page or messenger.
Applicants should have an A or B average in school at the time of appointment. Written permission for a student to serve must be obtained in writing from the principal of the school in which he/she is enrolled at the time of the application, before being elected or appointed. The Senate Clerk's Office does not permit other students to "shadow" a Senate Page/Messenger for a day. An information and application packet can be obtained through the Senate Legislative Information and Constituent Services office. Please call toll-free 1-(888) 892-6948 or 1-(804) 698-7410 or e-mail: information@)senate.virginia.gov.
The General Assembly, America’s oldest English-speaking representative assembly, has met in the present day Capitol since 1788. Nearly 100 years after the legislature convened in Thomas Jefferson’s “Temple on the Hill,” the first page record appears in the Senate and House Journals. The earliest evidence is recorded in the House Journal which traces pages, who were adult age, back to 1848; two pages were appointed to serve. The 1850 Senate Journal illustrates a dispute over electing two doorkeepers or two pages. In compromise, one page and one doorkeeper were appointed. Though few detailed records exist, documents indicate pages may have been used in colonial times.