Six high school seniors were selected to serve as student pages for the 2023 Maryland General Assembly. Matthew Botteon and Braelyn Howard of C. Milton Wright High School in Bel Air; Grace Callwood of Edgewood High School; Sara King of Fallston High School; Molly Martin of Havre de Grace High School; and Mark Matysek of Patterson Mill High School in Bel Air will all begin serving when the legislative session begins Jan. 11.
“As a political science teacher, I am passionate about the Student Page Program,” Michael Brogley, coordinator of the Student Page Program in Harford County and C. Milton Wright High School social studies teacher, said in a statement. “Pages, I urge you to live in the moment during this experience, to really take it all in.”
Pages are selected after an application process that includes a written test and an extensive oral interview before a 10-person committee consisting of peers and educators from around the county, who tested the applicants on their knowledge of politics and various other topics.
The five highest scorers are selected to serve as pages in Annapolis; the sixth-highest scorer becomes the alternate who will replace anyone who cannot serve due to illness.
On Dec. 8, a student page breakfast was held at Aberdeen High School, and the pages spent the morning getting to know each other and the elected officials they will assist during the session. Here’s a quick overview of the all the selected pages:
Matthew Botteon, 18, is president of the senior class council at C. Milton Wright High School. He’s a member of the National Honor Society, the math honor society and the Spanish honor society. He serves in the organization Volun-Teen and volunteers his time to community-based projects like Thanksgiving in a Box and Bailey’s Heart and Sole 5K Run. Botteon plans to study computer science at a four-year university next year.
Grace Callwood, 18, is senior class president of the student government association at Edgewood High School. She serves as an officer for the mock trial team and the Black Student Alliance. In addition, she is as a member of the National Honor Society, the French honor society, and the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society. She is also in the concert/marching band and on the girl’s lacrosse team.
Callwood also runs a youth-led nonprofit called the We Cancerve Movement, Inc. that works to bring happiness and swift solutions to homeless, sick and foster children. With her nonprofit, she has served more than 26,000 youth in need since 2012.
Callwood plans to attend a four-year university to major in political science and minor in sociology.
Braelyn Howard, 17, is president of the National Honor Society at C. Milton Wright High School, captain of the Envirothon team, committee head of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, section leader of the marching band and adviser for her school’s writing center.
In addition, Howard is a member of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, the senior class council, the math national honor society, Science National Honor Society, the French national honor society, math league and French club. She plans to attend Wake Forest University to study business.
Sara King, 17, is vice president of the student government association and a member of the National Honor Society at Fallston High School. She is a member of the The Future Business Leaders of America, the National Business Honor Society, and the Science National Honor Society. She is also on the varsity tennis team.
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Outside of school, King works as a lifeguard and managed the social media campaign for a county councilman. Following graduation, King plans to attend Penn State University or the University of Virginia.
Molly Martin, 17, is president of the orchestra and vice president of the National Honor Society at Havre de Grace High School. She serves as a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, academic team, and speech and debate teams. She is also the music department aide for Havre de Grace Middle/High School. Martin is on the varsity girls soccer and tennis teams.
In the community, she has served as a Harford Glen counselor, a Havre de Grace Independence Day volunteer, a Holiday Tree Jubilee volunteer and a Havre de Grace candlelight tour volunteer. Martin plans to attend the University of Maryland, to study government and political science.
Mark Matysek, 17, is flute section leader for his school’s marching band and captain of the wrestling team. He also plays football and runs track. Matysek hopes to attend University of Maryland to study political science.
The pages will spend two non-consecutive weeks with host families in Annapolis while serving in either the House of Delegates or the Maryland Senate. The pages are paid a stipend of $55 per day to cover living expenses.
The duties of the page revolve around the schedule of the chamber. Whenever the chamber is in session, pages must be present.
The statewide student page program in Annapolis was created by House Speaker Thomas Hunter Lowe in 1970 and approved by the Maryland State Board of Education. Each year, 105 pages and 36 alternates are selected from across the state to represent their schools and counties in Annapolis.