How would you like to spend your second semester of school in the capitol building? Junior Alex Zumbach will spend the second half of the school year in Des Moines as a page for the Senate’s president in the capitol.

Around 80 students from all over Iowa submitted online applications to the capitol to be evaluated, and 20 were selected for an interview in Des Moines with the Sergeant of Arms, Chief Clerk, and Secretary of the Senate. Zumbach was one of the 12 finalists chosen to work in the capitol.

Zumbach will work in Des Moines Monday through Thursday, starting Jan. 9 until late April or early May. As a page, he will sit in the Senate’s president chambers and do whatever the president asks of him, which includes filing papers, getting books from the library, delivering and receiving notes, and getting coffees.

“I’m excited to meet new people and learn more about how Iowa government works,” Zumbach said. “Plus, doing something besides school for an entire semester is cool by itself.”

Besides working 10-hour workdays in the capitol, he will take independent study classes in Des Moines to keep him on track for graduating next year. Zumbach has also worked it out with coaches about extracurriculars, so he can still participate.

“Even though missing a semester of school will be difficult, I think that the experience will be worth it. I can’t wait to make new friends and memories,” Zumbach said. “Currently, I’m not planning on going to college for Politics or Political Science after high school, but whatever happens, happens, I guess.”