Tea Area seniors serve as legislative pages in SD House of Representatives

Two Tea Area High School seniors recently had the opportunity to gain firsthand experience in state government while serving as legislative pages in the South Dakota House of Representatives during the 2026 legislative session.

Melanie Roemen and Zoe Kreidler served during the same session, assisting representatives while observing the legislative process at the South Dakota State Capitol.

Roemen, daughter of Dan and Clarissa Roemen, served as a page for Tim Goodwin. She plans to attend University of South Dakota this fall, where she will study Medical Biology on a pre-med track.

“I really enjoyed my time serving a second year as a legislative page in the South Dakota House of Representatives,” Roemen said. “I got to learn more about our legislative process and how our government works. My favorite part of the process was getting to see how a bill works its way through and getting passed into law.”

Kreidler, whose mother is Lonna Quiram, served as a page for Amber Arlint. She also plans to attend University of South Dakota this fall, where she will major in Political Science with plans to pursue law.

“I never realized how much went on behind the scenes of our government,” Kreidler said. “Being a part of this experience has taught me so many lessons and advice that I wouldn’t learn elsewhere. From meeting representatives from all over to the other pages, the connections that formed were so special and fleeting. My favorite memory was going to the top of the Capitol to sign our names.”

Serving as legislative pages gave both students the opportunity to witness the lawmaking process up close while contributing to daily legislative operations