Two HCS students serve as Virginia House pages during 2026 General Assembly session

Congratulations to Mackenzi Ballard, a seventh grade student at Phenix PreK-8 School, and Maeven Lackey, an eighth grade student at Kilgore Gifted Center (KGC). These students were selected and served as pages for the 2026 session of the General Assembly in Richmond, VA. The program ran from January 12 to March 13, 2026. Students served from Sunday evenings through Friday afternoons and were able to return home for the weekends. 

We are extremely proud that two of our students were selected from a highly competitive pool, as the Speaker of the House traditionally receives approximately 250 applications for just 32 available appointments.

“The Phenix Family is so proud of Mackenzie as she completed her first session as a House Page,” said Phenix principal Robin Hunt-Crenshaw. “She was intentional in maintaining her excellent academic status as well as her duties as a Phenix student athlete. Mackenzie set the bar high and worked to ensure that the Legacy of Greatness Continues.”

“Everyone at Kilgore Gifted Center is so proud of Maeven for serving as a Senate Page during the 2026 session of the General Assembly,” said Kilgore principal Paul Lawrence. “We are lucky to have her at KGC and look forward to following her success as she heads off to high school next year. Go Seahawks!!!”

According to the Virginia House of Delegates website, this long-running (since 1847) and popular program for Virginia youth (ages 13- and 14-years old) is held each winter at the historic Virginia State Capitol and General Assembly Building in Richmond, Virginia. The House Page Program equips students for actively engaged citizenship, focuses on the lawmaking process, and benefits participants (and our democracy) by strengthening leadership traits and developing workplace skills. A successful candidate possesses drive and self-initiative, is committed to listening to and working with others, and clearly demonstrates a positive attitude in all activities.

The House Page Program Curriculum is rigorous and yet reasonable and relatable to middle-school students. It is designed to help Pages become more actively engaged citizens, expand their knowledge about Virginia’s legislative process, enhance their personal and professional development, and better enable them to explore future educational and work opportunities in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world. More specifically, the program’s curriculum modules – Professional Etiquette, Money and Time Management, Goal Setting, Relationship Building and Leading Others, Career Planning, Public Service Engagement, and Understanding the Legislative Process – provide the core focus for House Pages’ learning activities throughout the Session. These activities, along with Pages’ daily work experiences, presentations about the history of the Capitol, communication skills development, The Page Debate participation, and interaction with guest speakers and Delegates, will expand a Page’s knowledge about the National Historic Landmark that is the State Capitol and help them really understand how the legislature works.