Lea Moser aspires to be a U.S. senator someday. Danae Moser would rather be anything but a senator but now understands and values their work more than ever before.

The two sisters of Sparks, both recent Senate pages, had a rare opportunity to work in the hub of America's leadership. To celebrate the completion of their experience this past spring, they organized a reunion with their colleagues, who toured the Sparks Heritage Museum on Monday as part of a week's worth of activities.

"I wanted to be a page to understand more about government and see what the senators do," Danae, 18, said about applying. "They work so hard. ... It's a 365-days-a-year job."

Lea, 20, said she wants to serve in public office some day to help constituents.

"I learned what the job is like," Lea said. "I saw them behind the scenes. They do have luxuries, but I also saw how really hard it is."

Lea worked as a congressional page with Gov. Jim Gibbons and talked about how the office handled communications with citizens.

"So many people called in,” she said. “(The staff) cared about the constituents, not themselves."

Lea now attends the University of Nevada, Reno, but is a former Sparks High student, where Danae still attends. They were two of three to be accepted into the program this year. The third was a young man from Gardnerville.

According to the U.S. Senate's Web site, www.senate.gov, pages are responsible for the delivery of correspondence and legislative material within Congress. They work a full day alongside officials and carry bills and amendments to the desk.

Dick Dreiling, a volunteer for the reunion and president of the Board of Trustees for the museum, took the group of 10 former pages on a tour, describing Sparks' rich history as they learned things about northern Nevada's past culture. Most were from other states, including Alabama, Kentucky, Utah and New Hampshire.

Sparks' past culture was educational to them. Some girls giggled at the prospect of John Ascuaga's connection with Kentucky Fried Chicken's Col. Sanders and his humble beginnings with the Nugget before it was the thriving casino business it is now.

The Mosers partnered with the City of Reno and Reno's Youth Council to plan out the reunion, which will take them ice skating on the Rink on the River on South Virginia Street in downtown Reno, skiing at Mt. Rose ski resort and to dinner at Claim Jumper, with the youth council.

To apply for the program, high school juniors and seniors must have at least a grade point average of 3.0 in their core classes, be nominated by their government teachers and send two letters of recommendation from people in their community. They spend a semester at Webster Hall near the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Danelle Moser, the mother of Lea and Danae, followed the young group around the museum and helped her daughters plan the reunion. She said it's an eye-opening experience for students not just interested in politics, but also in history and foreign affairs.

"They're selected by their congressperson, then depending on their aptitude, as far as their scholarships go, their government teachers recommend them," Danelle said.

Lea received a scholarship through the English program at Sparks High School while Danae received awards for citizenship and mathematics. The students were required to pay for their own living expenses, including room and board while at Webster Hall. But they also had a chance to earn money while working as pages.

"It looks good on their resume for scholarships," Danelle said.

Pages also attend classes in the early morning at the United States Senate Page School.

The history of the page begins with the first appointee under the leadership of Sens. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, according to the Senate Web site. The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 dictated that the District of Columbia Public Schools were responsible for educating pages and did so from January 1947 until July 1995. At that time, the Senate Page School attained independent status and was relocated from the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress to the lower level of the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence, where pages go today.

It's an experience senators and congress members hope will educate and excite young people and build them up for office when they're older.

The young students heard a letter written to them from Sen. Harry Reid before entering the tour, commending them for their efforts and welcoming them to northern Nevada.

"I saw many of you daily in the Senate and I know how hard you worked," Reid wrote. "As I have mentioned before, my two oldest grandchildren were Senate pages and it changed their lives. I hope that being a page afforded you the same wonderful experience and that you feel a renewed enthusiasm for public service as a result."