Two of Washington High School’s rising juniors participated in the Governor’s Page Program in Raleigh recently.

Jack Rodman and Montgomery McClure served as pages for Gov. Beverly Perdue. They spent a week providing administrative support and gaining valuable life experience while serving as pages for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Rodman went through his high school to apply for the position in Raleigh for the week he was there.

Rodman’s father, John Rodman, Washington’s planning and development director, said he thought it was a great program for his son.

“I was in local government for about 25 years here in Washington, and I was really pleased he was able to go up to Raleigh and see how government works and operates,” he said. “And they do have busy schedules as 16 year olds up there, so I am really pleased he volunteered.”

The Governor’s Page Program is a year-round program, established in 1973, that provides an opportunity for high school students and home-schooled students to spend a week in Raleigh to learn about the roles and functions of state government.

“By participating in the page program, high-school students from all parts of North Carolina have the opportunity to see firsthand how our government and government agencies work,” Gov. Bev Perdue said in a press release. “These  students  represent  North Carolina’s future, and it is important for them to understand how our state functions.”

Alana Allen, media relations for the Governor’s Office, said each week pages are assigned to a cabinet-level agency or Council of State office within the state government complex to assist employees with various tasks.

“In addition to their daily responsibilities, pages will have the opportunity to meet the governor, attend press conferences, participate in service projects and tour historic landmarks,” she said, “including the State Capitol, Legislative Building, Executive Mansion and Supreme Court.”

Allen said participation in the Governor’s Page Program is an excused absence from school.

Rodman said the program’s first day is more along the lines of an orientation, as pages became familiar with the operations of their agencies or offices.

“We were introduced to the departments we would be working in and what we would be doing,” Rodman said. “Then we were assigned to a department. There were 10 people in our group, and every one of us were assigned to a different department.”

He said pages took a tour of the state buildings and worked in another department for a few hours before moving to another department, getting the full spectrum of how government works.

Rodman was attached to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, while McClure was attached to the state treasurer’s office.

“I pretty much did everything they asked me to do,” McClure said. “I would copy papers and file papers and documents.”

McClure said pages are basically “runners” and do whatever they are asked to do, which included taking mail to a different department in a different building, providing a courier service.

Rodman said among the more interesting parts of his duties for the week was being able to go on Google Earth and learn about areas of environmental concern.

“There were so many areas that I had to go and look at to see if there was a highway going into it, or if it was being clear-cut,” he said. “And if there was something wrong with it, then I would label it if it was OK or if there was something wrong with it.”

During their week in Raleigh, pages have a chance to attend press conferences, meet with the governor and assist in day-to-day office operations. Some of their responsibilities include filing documents, assisting in mass mailings, answering telephones and delivering agency messages.

Rodman, the son of John and Janet Rodman, said it was a great experience and he wants to do it again next year, which may lead to a college internship with the Governor’s Office.

“Since both of them have taken civics in high school already, they were more prepared for the government aspect of it,” the elder Rodman said.

McClure said the program better prepared him and Rodman for what is ahead of them, such as college and internships. McClure plans on enrolling in an engineering program when he gets to college.

The younger Rodman said he is not entirely sure what he wants to do right now, but he is applying to N.C. State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but agreed that the program better prepared him and McClure for the future goals.

“I really just wanted to see how everything was run,” he said. “We went to the Senate, which was pretty interesting.”

Allen said in order to qualify for the program, each applicant must be between the ages of 15 and 18 and in good academic standing with his or her school. Appointments are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Application forms are available throughout the year.

She said if students are appointed to serve during the school year, they must receive prior approval from a school counselor.

To apply, candidates must complete and submit an application, provide two letters of recommendation and copy of their high-school transcript.

For an application or additional information, contact the coordinator of the Governor’s Page Program toll free at 1-800-820-4483 or visit the program’s website at www.volunteernc.org/code/govpage.ht