Macomb High School freshman shadows Senator Jett

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tecumseh native and Macomb High School freshman, Blayze Lewis, had the special opportunity Thursday to shadow Sen. Shane Jett. Lewis and his family will become constituents of the Shawnee Republican once the new district lines go into effect on Nov. 1.

"I absolutely love when young people show an interest in their government, whether its locally or here at our beautiful state Capitol," Jett said. "Paging and shadowing gives students a firsthand look at how bills become law and budgets are drafted. I appreciate Blayze spending the day with me, and I hope he'll consider coming back and paging for our office in the future."

While shadowing, Lewis got to explore the new Capitol Museum, meet senators, watch a floor session, and tour the newly renovated Senate Chamber. He also learned about the legislative process and the impact it has on Oklahomans.

“I paged 31 years ago with the Senate and it really opened my eyes to how the legislative process worked,” Jett said. “It was such a positive experience for me that once I became a House member, I made sure that I brought up young people to participate in the program.”

The page program is traditionally only open to juniors and seniors. However, Jett said shadowing gives Lewis and other young people a glimpse of what paging will be like and hopes it will get more students interested in the unique learning opportunity.

Outside the classroom, Lewis is a member of the Macomb Hornets basketball team and enjoys learning about Oklahoma history. He also loves working on engines and plans to attend Gordon Cooper Technology Center to learn how to weld.

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Jett: (405) 521-5622 or Shane.Jett@oksenate.gov

CUTLINE: Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, and Macomb High School freshman, Blayze Lewis, visit in the Senate Lounge after a day of shadowing.