Courtesy of Sheldon Ekirich

Mary Gray Johnson, a head page, and Sheldon Ekirch, a Hidden Valley Middle School eighth-grader who served as a page for the House of Delegates in January.

Sheldon Ekirch

Q:How did you end up applying to become a page?

"My mom's boss, who is the head of the Commonwealth's Attorney of Roanoke City, got some information about it and gave it to my mom. My mom asked me if I wanted to do it and I said that I did. I applied for the House of Delegates and I got three recommendation letters and an interview with Delegate Griffith and a few weeks later I got a letter from him saying I got into the program."

Q: When did you begin and what was it like?

"January 11 was orientation. When I stepped into the Chamber it was kind of intimidating and amazing because it was so big and exciting and I was nervous at the same time."

Q: What was orientation like?

"During orientation the speaker talked and we went over the rules. Then we got a tour of the Capitol and the General Assembly building."

Q: What were your duties as a page for the House?

"We helped in the chamber and we also did filing and enrolling and other pages had other jobs. We filed stuff and did mailing a lot too and we ran errands."

Q: What did you learn?

I learned to be more independent and I also learned how a bill becomes a law and the main law process and how the government works."

Q: How long did you serve as a page?

"For about two months. Every weekend I pretty much came home. In the beginning it was kind of hard but then after about a week you got into it and everything and it seemed like a daily routine."

Q: Did you get to see your classmate Cassie Waldron any?

"I didn't get to work with Cassie but I saw her a lot. I got to meet people from Northern Virginia and other people from Virginia Beach. I made a ton of friends."

Q: What was your favorite part about this experience?

"I made a lot of friends and I learned a lot more too. You got to do more stuff by yourself while we were there and we learned a lot more than just being in school. You really learned how the government process works. When you are there and you see the delegates at work, it's just amazing."

Although this wasn't her first time to Richmond, it was the first time Ekirch was able to be in the Chamber and the General Assembly Building. She received a stipend for food. Ekirch was one of about 40 pages, she said.

Ekirch is the daughter of Alice and Roger Ekirch and one day wants to go to medical school and become a psychiatrist.

Ekirch still keeps in touch with the friends that she met in Richmond and plans to apply to be a house page for next year. She also kept a blog of her experienceat www.2009richmondpage.blog spot.com

Cassie Waldron

Q: How did you learn about becoming a page?

"Last year when I was in seventh grade my mom went to have a conference with my U.S. History and math teacher and they both said I would be good to represent Hidden Valley as a page. So, we went online and researched about it and I got the information and they gave me an application to fill out. I had to get permission from the Principal and three letters of recommendations. Then I had an interview with Senator Edwards."

Q: What was orientation like?

"At first we had to have a lot of tours of the Capitol which was really neat. Then we had to do some training on the chamber floor of the Senate. We had to learn how you pass out papers and we had Committee training- we went to our specific trainings. We had to learn where all the senators sit and their names."

Q: What was a normal day for you like?

"We had to go to the page room every morning for roll call, they would tell you your duties, you were on duty from 8:15 to 5 in the afternoon. At 9 you would have to go to the legislative library, get a calendar, 10:45 we were answering telephone calls for a senator. If you weren't signed up for anything you would work in the page room running bills. I was there from Jan. 11 to Feb. 28 and I came home on weekends and I would come back to Richmond on Sunday evenings and stay at the Omni Hotel.

Q: And what was being a page like?

"At first it was a little bit weird because all the pages --there were 36 of us. We were all pretty close right off the bat. It was really fun; I didn't even miss being home after I was there for the second week. The first week, it was kind of hard because there was a lot to adjust to. At first it was hard because the training was hard, but afterward we got used to it it was a lot easier."

Q: Did you make lots of friends while you were there?

"All 36 of us became really close -- a lot of them were from Richmond, but one is from Martinsville. I became good friends with the governor's daughter. I made a friend from Roanoke city, so we became really good friends. Most of us are all talking on Facebook trying to decide where we are going to hang out even if it's only for the weekend."

Q: What did you learn?

"Basically we got a first hand look at the legislative process. It was a lot to take in at the end. We even did a mock session so we got to see how they vote on bills and that process. I think we debated the smoke free act and the no telecommunication device use while drive and debated an adoption bill."

Q: And you used this as your community service project for your eighth-grade Civics class, right?

"We have to do community service so I was able to count anything I did after 3 p.m. as community service. I had a two hour study session where my teachers would send me work. You have to maintain you're A or B average. It was a little bit different because I was used to having a two hour school day and so it was hard to adjust to an eight hour day when I got back here."

Q: Overall, how was the experience?

"It was basically one of the best experiences I've ever had. It's basically like being in college because you have a roommate and you have to learn to share and you learn a lot. We had to write an essay about a bill. All the friendships you make are basically there for a lifetime."

Although Waldron is not eligible to be a page again, she said she would like to be one for the U.S. Senate when she is in 10th or 11th grade. She says her teachers have inspired her a lot to be involved in politics.

"I think my history teacher Mr. Struzinsky really inspired me to get more involved in the legislative process. I would always be researching current events and watching the news to learn more about what was going on. Every day we would debate in class what we saw and he thought I was really involved in it. I was really interested in it and wanted to learn more about it and so he thought it would be a really good opportunity for me."

Waldron is the daughter of Tom and Cheryl Waldron. She hopes to go to the University of Richmond Law School one day.

You can view Cassie's blog about her experience at richmond-page.blogspot.com

Teacher finds healing in thesis work

The newest addition to North Cross School's Hancock Library is a book that many of the school's youngest students will find particularly interesting when they return to school in the fall. The book, "Mama D & Me," was authored and illustrated by NCS teachers and printed by a NCS parent.

Written by junior kindergarten teacher and alumna Heather Donaho, the children's book chronicles a young boy and his encounter with several animals and insects. As he comes across each one, he tries to catch them, but they escape his grasp. In the end, he realizes that Mama D's spirit lies within each one. The books illustrations were done by junior kindergarten teacher Jennifer Luckay. Parent John Mitchell, who owns Salem Printing, donated the production costs to print the book.

The book was developed as part of Donaho's thesis work studying "Words Help Us Heal: The Impact of Bibliotherapy on Children." The book's subject was inspired by the July 2007 death of Donaho's mother-in-law, who unexpectedly had a heart attack related to her earlier breast cancer diagnosis.

Donaho hopes to sell the book locally and plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Donaho, who is also the school's head volleyball coach, has been teaching at NCS for nine years. She received her bachelor's degree from Roanoke College and her master's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Virginia. She and her husband John have one son, Noah, 2.

Submitted by Emily Ewoldt, North Cross Development Office intern

Foundation for Roanoke Valley awards scholarships

Over $133,000 in educational scholarships ranging from $250 to $12,000 have been awarded to students from the Roanoke Valley and surrounding communities by Foundation for Roanoke Valley, the region's community foundation. The Foundation, which currently administers 49 endowed scholarship funds, recently held its first Scholarship Reception at the Jefferson Center's Fitzpatrick Hall. At this event, scholarship recipients had the opportunity to meet and get to know the scholarship donors. Recipients included high school graduates, vocational students and adult learners.

Carly Oliver, the Foundation's Associate Director, noted that a highlight of the event was the inauguration of a major scholarship award to be called "The Holland Scholar." This scholarship will be given annually by the Foundation to an outstanding graduating senior from the Roanoke Valley who shows exceptional promise in his or her future college career. The award will be for a minimum of $10,000. This year's recipient is Ryan J. Brock of Northside High School, who will attend Virginia Tech to pursue a degree in architecture. Oliver further explained that the Foundation received over 600 applications for its scholarships this year.

Scholarship recipients were selected on a competitive basis within the criteria established by donors at the creation of the scholarship endowment fund.

The specific scholarships awarded to Southwest Roanoke County students at the reception and the respective recipients were:

Ethel Snidow Holland Memorial Scholarship Fund: Kelsey M. Martin - Cave Spring H.S.; Katherine E. Preseren - Hidden Valley H.S.

Jean L. Price Scholarship Fund: Katherine E. Preseren - Hidden Valley H.S.

E. Price Ripley Memorial Foundation Fund: Paige A. Gibbons - Katherine E. Preseren - Hidden Valley H.S.

Frank W. (Bo) Rogers, Jr. Fund: Brennan M. Scott - Cave Spring H.S.

Melva Dulaney Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund: Brennan M. Scott - Cave Spring H.S.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley has served the Roanoke Valley and western Virginia for more than 20 years and currently administers over 240 named endowment funds on behalf of the community. For more information, please contact the Foundation at 985-0204.

Submitted by Carly Oliver, Foundation for Roanoke Valley Associate Director

Patrick DelBuono winner of the 2009 DAR Good Citizens Program

The Nancy Christian Fleming Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is pleased to announce the winner of the 2009 DAR Good Citizens Program is Patrick Lawrence DelBuono, a senior at North Cross School. While at North Cross Patrick appeared in several school theatrical productions. He was captain of the varsity cross-country team and captain of the varsity lacrosse team. As a senior, he initiated a successful service project, Cell Phones for Soldiers. He was co-editor of the yearbook and co-founder of the Outdoors Club at North Cross. An avid hunter, fisherman and skier, he also serves as an altar minister at S. Andrew's Church in Roanoke.

Patrick will attend Roanoke College where he was one of twelve students to be awarded the David Bittle Scholarship, which provides full tuition for four years in the liberal arts college in Salem. He also is the recipient of The Davis Honors Scholarship, awarded as a result of his acceptance into the Roanoke College Honors program.

Patrick is the son of Ernest and Mary DelBuono of Roanoke, Va.

Submitted by Elizabeth R. Lemon