Medical Lake's Gerry serves as senate page

Medical Lake High School sophomore Kayla Gerry, who is an athlete and a musician, can add another accolade to her list: Washington State Senate Page

Gerry was one of 30 students from across the state who served as a senate page during the 2016 legislative session in Olympia where she received first-hand experience in learning how the state government works. Her opportunity to serve as a page came through the Washington Senate Page Program where students spend a week working for the Legislature.

Gerry's parents, Mike and Angela Gerry, own Crossfit Spokane. Sen. Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane), who sponsored Gerry, came into Crossfit and recommended she apply for the program.

Gerry had previously gone to Olympia in eighth-grade to learn how Washington's judicial branch worked. This was the first time she went to Capitol Hill and toured the buildings.

During the day, pages are responsible for assisting senators, transporting mail, messages and packages to their offices. Gerry said delivering mail was a challenge for her at first because many of the offices are "so big" and she got lost. She also sat on the Senate floor and learned about how bills are passed. She was also on the floor for the retirement of Lt. Gov. Brad Owen (D).

"It was interesting seeing how it all works," Gerry said.

Gerry attended page school for two hours where she learned about parliamentary procedure and the process of how a bill becomes a law. She, along with a partner, drafted a bill and presented it to a committee. The bill proposed more restrictions on purchasing guns - specifically requiring a person to see a psychologist before they purchase a firearm.

"It didn't pass because there was the argument that 'it's not the gun that kills people, it's the person who does it,'" Gerry said. "It was still really cool to see how the bill process works, putting it into action and doing the process ourselves."

During her time in Olympia, Gerry stayed with a host family with some of the other senate pages.

"The host family was fun and three of the kids who stayed with us were pages for the House of Representatives," Gerry said. "It was pretty cool to hear about the other side."

In a news release from the Medical Lake School District, Baumgartner stated that Gerry "played an important role during this busy week of our session."

"I appreciate all the hard work she put in to do her part for our great state," Baumgartner said.

Besides a senate sponsor, applicants must get a teacher's recommendation. In an email, Jennie Wagner, who gave Gerry the recommendation, wrote that she is a "well-behaved, smart young woman who has untapped abilities." She also knew that Gerry would "blossom" from the experience.

"She was so excited to go and I know she represented us well," Wagner wrote. "She is detail oriented, pleasant and interested in many things."

As for the future, Gerry ruled out a career in government, saying she has her "heart set on being a heart surgeon."

"But this was just a great experience," Gerry said. "I would recommend anyone to do it."

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].