Elena Weymiller, a ninth-grader at Gig Harbor High School, spent a week serving as a legislative page under the tutelage of the 26th Legislative District’s Sen. Emily Randall.

Weymiller already has gotten a taste of the give-and-take involved in representative democracy — she’s a member on the speech and debate team at Gig Harbor. When she isn’t immersed in learning about the issues of the day, the freshman plays a variety of musical instruments, including the guitar, ukulele and piano. As if she isn’t busy enough during the day, Weymiller is known to pen some short fiction stories and hangs out with her dog Willy.

“I enjoyed being a page because the people here really treat us with responsibility and respect,” she said. “We are treated a lot more like adults here and are trusted with important tasks.”

Randall said the page program gives young people a hands-on opportunity to learn how state government works from the inside.

“The pages spend a week on the floor of the Senate, in the corridors of the Senate offices and with guest speakers and classes on topics like budget-writing and how a bill becomes a law,” Randall said. “And it culminates in pages creating their own bills in a mock committee setting.”