Student page gets crash course in government

A month ago, "gerrymandering" was just a crazy-sounding word that Kassi Luberts' government teacher was trying to drill into her head.

The senior at Glacier High School didn't know what it meant. It had something to do with politics, which she wasn't particularly interested in.

But after a week of watching state government in action, Luberts has changed her mind about politics. She also can define vocabulary words such as "gerrymandering" after asking state legislators for help.

"There were things my government teacher tried to explain that I didn't understand," Luberts said. "There, it was like, dude, I totally get this now. It clicked."

Luberts spent a week in Helena in January working as a page for Rep. Cheryl Steenson, D-Kalispell. Before the legislative session convened, Steenson was Luberts' English teacher.

"I knew she was a really hard worker in school," Steenson said. "I thought it would be a great opportunity [for Luberts' to see what Helena is like, what local government is like."

Each legislator may sponsor one page each session, Steenson said. The Legislature will hire dozens of pages over the next few months.

"Pages pretty much do assistant work for the entire House of Representatives," Steenson said.

That includes running errands, filing bills and delivering mail and messages. Every 20 minutes or so, Luberts had to check a pair of baskets on the first floor of the Capitol building for new phone and e-mail messages for legislators.

"I ran up and down a lot of stairs," she said. "A lot of stairs.

"It was a lot of gofer work, but it was fun," she added. "I enjoyed myself."

Pages go through an orientation on their first day in Helena, but after that, there is little instruction, Luberts said.

She was intimidated at first by the fast-paced environment.

"I didn't think I was going to enjoy myself. I thought I was going to be dead-dog tired every night, and I actually wasn't," she said.

The most exciting part was watching the legislators in action, Luberts said. She was surprised by how respectfully the floor sessions went.

"Like the formality they have with doing bills," she explained.

"They don't get into arguments on the floor. They have to address the Speaker of the House.

"Usually when I think politics, I think of people arguing across the room with each other - things like that."

After a busy day at the Capitol, Steenson and Luberts attended socials, and Luberts worked on schoolwork.

"She had some government homework, so I had to be a stickler about that," Steenson said.

Luberts' hard work - in school and out - was the primary reason Steenson asked her to be a page. In addition to her classes, Luberts plays the flute in band and is a cook at Perkins Restaurant and Bakery.

"She works twice as hard as the rest of the students, and she is successful because of her hard work," Steenson said.

Luberts isn't coasting through school, Steenson added.

"She's not the kind of kid who has the opportunity to play through high school. She's working through high school," she said. "I feel like a lot of times those students get left out."

For her efforts at the Capitol, Luberts received a letter of recommendation praising her hard work.

She also got a new appreciation for state government.

"I had no interest in politics before, and now I do. It's weird," she said. "I have been playing close attention to politics and the Legislative session."

"I've kind of sort of thought about becoming a representative," she added. "It's in the back of my mind."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com