A Tale of 3 Pages: Talbot County and Maryland’s Student Page Program
The Constitutional Convention Commission was created in 1965 by then Governor J. Millard Tawes to determine the need for constitutional revision. It was convened in Annapolis in September 1967 and adjourned in January 1968. The proposed constitution was rejected by voters the following May.
While the Constitutional Convention (colloquially known as “ConCon”) may not have produced a constitution acceptable to voters, its use of student pages provided a model for the Maryland General Assembly Student Page Program, now in its 55th year.
Learn more about the Maryland General Assembly’s Student Page Program below. ⬇️
What is the Student Page Program?
The Student Page Program in the General Assembly began in 1970 under the leadership of House Speaker Thomas Hunter Lowe, of Talbot County, and continues today.
While the operation of the legislature has changed over the last five decades, the program has remained relatively the same.
“Each year, 105 pages and 36 alternates are selected from across the state to represent their schools and counties in Annapolis. The MGA Page Program is non-patronage and non-partisan and open to residents of Maryland who attend Maryland public and nonpublic high schools.
Selected pages serve two nonconsecutive weeks, during the thirteen weeks of session. During the 13 weeks of session, which runs from the second week in January to early April, each page serves one week during the first seven weeks and returns for a second week of service during the last six. The duties of the page revolve around the schedule of the chamber. Whenever the chamber is in session, pages must be present.”
Page’s schedule will revolve around the chamber to which the Page is assigned on their first day of paging. Pages must be present whenever their chamber (House or Senate) is in session to perform their duties, which include distributing materials on the floor, running errands, assisting visitors, and delivering messages or materials to the members. After each day’s session, Pages may be assigned additional work or meet with various guest speakers scheduled by the Page Coordinator.
The only time that pages didn’t serve in person was during the 2021 session, when pages participated in a virtual program during the COVID-19 pandemic that year.
Meet the Pages
Cindy Orban, Sarah Kilmon, and William O’Donnell are all former MGA pages.
The page program is well-represented in the Talbot250 Commission. Cindy Orban, Commission member, was in the first class of pages in 1970, Sarah Kilmon, Staff Administrator, was in the page class of 2014, and Communications Intern, William O’Donnell, was in the page class of 2024. All three former pages attended Easton High School and paged in the House of Delegates.
Even more remarkable is that all three pages were present for Sine Die, the final day of the final week of the legislature. The pressure to address and enact proposed legislation remaining from the term is intense; the exhilaration and celebration at midnight as cheers ring out and confetti falls from the balcony to the floor of the House is equally intense. For pages fortunate to be there, it is a memorable end to an extraordinary experience.
This remarkable bond has prompted the three to reminisce and compare experiences. Some things haven’t changed at all. Among a page’s responsibilities is delivering delegates’ coffee and lunch orders; Will says that Chick and Ruth’s Deli on Main Street is as popular with delegates now as it was 55 years ago, although the “Eat Sprout” Annapolis State House Canteen is a growing contender.
Modernizing the Legislature
While the focus of the page program - assisting delegates and staff in any way needed remains the same, it’s not surprising that some methods have changed since 1970, most notably in the advent of technology. Each delegate must have copies of proposed legislation and amendments available as well as the final versions as they are enacted.
In 1970, that meant that pages were responsible for maintaining each delegate’s “bill book,” a thick binder containing bills and amendments, proposed and passed. Pages made many trips to the State House basement, where these were printed, collected, collated them and placed them in the order in a delegate’s bill book. Each page was assigned a group of delegates. When measures failed to pass, those were removed by the page and taken to the basement to be destroyed. It was vital that bill books remained up to date.
Bills were straightforward; amendments, which were more numerous and offered by delegates from the floor, in no particular order, were more cumbersome to manage.
During the final two weeks of the 1971 session, Cindy, then a college freshman, was asked to return to manage what today is seen as outdated technology but was at the time a major breakthrough. A screen and overhead projector were installed at the side of the Speaker’s platform. This enabled the flurry of amendments proposed as the session’s end neared, to be managed more quickly and efficiently.
Delegates proposing amendments brought a print copy to Cindy in the lounge behind the chamber. There it was copied onto a transparency for projection on the House floor where it could be seen and read by all. The challenge of the system, especially in the frenetic pace of those final days, was to recognize the delegate rising to offer an amendment, and project the correct one. It made sense to ask a former page, familiar with the delegates and their seating, to take that on.
This system was done away with and has since been replaced with a confidential digital “floor system” that can be accessed by Senators and Delegates without the need to use excess paper.
Unforgettable Experiences
The opportunity for pages to interact with legislators was transformative. Cindy recalls a bill before the State Senate mandating the Pledge Of Allegiance in classrooms. Several pages, including from Talbot and Caroline Counties, met with our Senator, Harry Hughes (Governor of Maryland 1979-87) to discuss his position on the bill. Although he declined to alter his planned vote, he listened respectfully and explained his position. A conversation with a delegate about pending legislation prompted them to share reasoning for some decisions - “in order to be effective in the legislature, first you must be elected.” None of us had viewed the issue in that way.
For many, the page program may also be the first time spent days away from home (with the exception of maybe summer camp). Sarah recalls the challenges of learning professionalism and decorum. “This was one of the first opportunities I had to be in a professional setting. I’m not going to lie, I was not prepared and learned quickly.” Sarah recalls one of her service weeks was during a massive snowstorm in Annapolis. She remembers having to bundle up in snow gear, arrive to the statehouse and completely change to prepare for floor sessions, heels and all. I learned the importance of planning ahead, timeliness, and good pair of panty hose. “It may seem like second nature now, but at the time, ‘dressing up’ was not part of my daily routine.” During Sarah’s time as a Page, she met Governor Martin O’Malley, attended the annual Sine Die Reception at the Governor’s House, and witnessed the debate on the Maryland Minimum Wage Act of 2014, which upon passage incrementally increased the State minimum wage rate to $10.10 beginning July 1, 2018.
Will recalls that during his first week, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (House Speaker 1979-86, U.S. Senator 2007-25) addressed the House of Delegates. Senator Cardin addressed the body, encouraging teamwork to bring success to the state. Although Cardin was heckled during his speech, and the gallery had to be cleared due to a security threat, he took time to meet with that week’s page cohort in the Delegates’ Lounge. He took questions for 15 minutes — ranging from queries about his time as House Speaker, the impact his work has had on the Chesapeake Bay, and how the group could lead in their own communities.
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) with a group of Student Pages.
“You are the next generation of leaders,” Cardin said, “never lose sight of your values, and remember where you come from.”
Each page in that room, whether they asked a question or listened quietly, left that week with a new sense of purpose: to serve others, and rise to meet the moment. Cardin’s address that day would be the last time he would address the House of Delegates before his retirement from the Senate in 2025.
A Lasting Impact
While their page experiences span over fifty years; Cindy, Sarah, and Will all agree that firsthand experience of our citizen legislature at work, inspired our admiration, gratitude, and respect. Both Sarah and Will have used their experiences as a steppingstone to work in government.
Sarah Kilmon served as the Chief of Staff for Senator Johnny Mautz (District 37) for 2 years before transitioning to her current role as Talbot County’s first Communications Manager. “My interest in state politics was certainly sparked by my participation in the page program in 2014,” she said. “It was also an incredible way to connect with students from across the state, many of whom I am still in contact with today.” Kilmon recalls the senior year being the “perfect time” for the program amid decisions about next steps for education and career.
William O’Donnell worked as a Legislative Intern for Senator Cheryl Kagan (District 17) during the 2025 legislative session. He believes that what he learned as a page prepared him to take on legislative and constituent services. “In such a fast-paced environment, you need to be observant and quick on your feet,” he said. “Without the page program, I think I would have had a much harder time navigating the nuances of the State Senate.”