Soumiya is committing the faces, names and locations of the 107 MPPs to memory.
Soumiya Suresh, a grade 8 student at Armadale Public School in Markham, has been selected to serve as a Legislative Page at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in Toronto. During her term of duty, Soumiya will serve as a messenger on the floor of Legislative Chamber, meet key parliamentary figures and learn about Ontario’s parliamentary system of government.
Soumiya’s term of duty starts on October 15 and is expected to last up to four weeks.
Soumiya earned her spot in the program by submitting an application that included an essay, in which he outlined his achievements, involvements and suitability for the program. Soumiya was informed of her successful candidacy by phone and now is in the process of committing the faces, names and locations of the 107 MPPs to memory before arriving at Queen’s Park for her first day. Soumiya will be joined by 19 other students from across the province.
During a typical day in the program, Pages arrive at Queen’s Park at approximately 8:00 a.m., dress in their uniforms and then prepare the Legislative Chamber for the morning’s debates. As the day progresses, Pages are involved in a number of activities including: delivering messages and water for the MPPs in the Chamber, taking classes in Legislative Process and Mathematics, and meeting with key legislative players such as the party leaders and the Speaker of the House.
The Legislative Page Program is open to students in grades 7 and 8 who have an interest in current affairs, have an academic average of 80% or higher and get along well with their peers and adults. Applications for the Legislative Page Program are accepted for two deadlines each year: December 15th and June 15th. Grade 7 students are eligible for both of these deadlines. Grade 8 students may apply for the December 15th deadline only.
