WASHINGTON – She’s stood within several feet of the president. She interacts with members of Congress daily. And she lives on Capitol Hill. Though she rubs elbows with some of the most powerful legislators in the country, this political savant is just a 16-year-old Bangor High School junior.

Elizabeth “Libby” Mooers was one of 12 students from around the state to apply for the prestigious House Page Program for this fall. After six of those candidates were interviewed, Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Allen picked Mooers.

“We were looking for someone who was bright, active and mature,” Allen said, “and Libby stood out.”

So since the beginning of September, Mooers and 65 other high school juniors from other states have been living and studying in Washington while working with lawmakers firsthand.

Pages must be able to handle the pressures of being away from home, while juggling the responsibilities of schoolwork and their jobs at the House, Allen said. This fall pages also face unusual conditions – the threat of terrorist attacks and potential exposure to anthrax.

Mooers was instructed over the weekend to take the anthrax antibiotic doxycycline as a precautionary measure. Program coordinators have prohibited pages from speaking with members of the press while they are in the page program, but Mooers’ mother, Holly Houston of Bangor, said her daughter didn’t test positive for anthrax exposure.

“I don’t think she’s scared,” said Houston. “I think she is as safe as any of us are. [The pages] are exceptionally well protected by the school staff, the staff in the House, and staff in the dorm.”

Despite the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, all of the pages “went back to work the next day” and worked at the Capitol until the House was closed on Oct. 18 due to the anthrax scare, Houston said.

While environmental officials were inspecting office buildings for anthrax, Mooers returned to Maine for the weekend. “Libby was very glad to come home for the weekend and very glad to go back,” Houston said.

“I am really comfortable with her being there,” said Houston. “I don’t live in fear while she’s there.”

The experience “is awesome,” for her daughter, Houston said. “I really can’t emphasize strongly enough how wonderful the program is.”

Mooers’ interest in becoming a page was piqued nearly two years ago, when Michael Mahoney, a former page for U.S. Rep. John Baldacci, spoke to her civics class about the program. “She was instantly enthused,” Houston said, “and it was something she really, really wanted to try to do and pursue.”

As a page, Mooers interacts with all members of the House, delivering correspondence, working in the speaker’s office and tracking down members for important phone calls while the House is in session. The pages’ demanding schedule requires them to rise before dawn to attend classes at 6:45 a.m. Then it’s off to work at the House at 10 a.m. and their day is not done until all legislative business is complete – it isn’t complete some days until well into the night.

Of the 66 pages nominated for this fall session which ends in January, only 12 were reserved for Democratic members. Members also must have a certain level of seniority before they can nominate a page and those limited slots are rotated among members each year, explained Mark Sullivan, the communications director for Allen.

Despite the narrow window of opportunity for Maine representatives to select a page, Allen was given his at just the time Mooers could qualify. She is only the second student from Maine selected to work as a page within the last 10 years.

The page program is designed to help students from diverse economic backgrounds participate. Pages receive a monthly stipend for their work, from which the cost of their dormitory housing and weekday dinners is deducted. After those deductions, pages are left with about $800 each month for other meals and personal expenses. Pages also must pay for their own transportation to and from Washington and buy the required page uniform.

Mooers was selected based on the overall quality of her application – including her extra-curricular and community service activities, according to Allen’s office. She served as the secretary for the class council, was a member of the Kiwanis Key Club, contributed to the student yearbook and worked part-time at the Grasshopper Shop in Bangor before going to Washington, D.C.

“I am very impressed with her,” Allen said. “She’s a very intelligent and energetic young woman.”

Since working in Washington, Mooers has set her sights on attending college in a big city and plans to study international relations.

“She has a passion for believing that she can make a difference,” said Houston. “It’s something that you only imagine doing – I’m obviously very proud of her.”