Logan Ziegler of Henry Clay High School is among 29 juniors from across the country serving as U.S. Senate pages this semester in Washington, D.C. He is sponsored by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “This internship offers Logan an amazing opportunity to have a front-row seat to observe history in the making,” said his mother, Karen Ziegler, the literacy specialist at Morton Middle School. For instance, Logan attended the president’s State of the Union address and was on the chamber floor when senators passed the Keystone pipeline bill.
Senate pages, who must be high school juniors and at least 16 years old, deliver correspondence and legislative material within the congressional complex, prepare the chamber for Senate sessions, take messages for members or call them to the phone, and carry bills and amendments to the desk. The teenagers also attend early-morning classes at the U.S. Senate Page School through June 5 and bunk in a student residence hall on Capitol Hill. Living away from home, attending class with diverse peers, meeting political leaders, and witnessing timely debates allow these students to experience myriad ideas, perspectives and issues.
Locally, Logan is a member of the Mayor’s Youth Council and the Lexington Leadership Youth program, was selected for Youth Salute, represented Henry Clay at HOBY his sophomore year and represented Kentucky at the HOBY World Leadership Congress in Chicago last summer. He’s also involved in Student Council, Beta Club, Young Republicans Club and Kentucky Youth Assembly. Logan was co-president of the Volunteer Hub Club and class president his freshman and sophomore years at Henry Clay. He also played basketball for two years.
Did you know? The Senate’s first page, a 9-year-old boy named Grafton Hanson, was appointed by Sen. Daniel Webster in 1829.
Resources: U.S. Senate page program