Last month, a new club  emerged at Solon High School: History Club. Formed by juniors Geoffrey Gao and Michael Foley, this club aims to foster discussion and supplement SHS’s Social Studies curriculum.

Gao and Foley attempted to start up a similar school organization last year, but were denied by the administration.

“We kind of failed the first time because we only turned in one sheet. We didn’t really have our ideas complete,” Foley said. “The second time we really decided to pull through with a lot of information. We even did a survey around the school. It showed that a lot of people would want to join this club.”

Gao said that he formed the club with Foley in order to fill a void they saw in the SHS extracurricular scene.

“We were looking at all these different types of clubs, applied science club, math club, and we were thinking that there is no club to teach people history,” Gao said. “We thought about previous history classes where there were instances in which many famous figures in history were left out of the discussion because there wasn’t enough time to teach them. So that’s why we formed the club, based on teaching people the heroes or villains of history.”

SHS history teacher Sean Fisher will serve as advisor for the club, a first for him, and explained that Gao’s attitude motivated him to take on the extra responsibility.

“I’ve known [Gao] for three years,” Fisher said. “I’ve coached him in golf and had him in class for two years, both for AP US history and AP Economics. He’s very conscientious about doing things the right way. Although I’ve been involved with coaching athletics previously, this is actually the first club that I’ve been in charge of in 12 or 13 years. I just know that he would do things the right way. He’s excited about history, and I knew he would find other people who are excited about it. I think it’s important that whatever kids are passionate about to try to help them.”

A main focus of the club will be preparing students to participate in National History Day, a nationwide competition where students can submit a website, essay, skit, or podcast for judging and awards.

“Although it might seem like it wouldn’t be popular in our school, it has over 500,000 students and over 30,000 teachers participating in it,” Gao said. “We just want to get Solon involved.”

Gao and Foley both mentioned that many SHS teachers, such as Fisher and Rob Rivera, are excited about the prospect of getting SHS students involved with National History Day, and will offer extra credit in their classes for participation.

In addition, the club will also hold discussions focusing on specific time periods for students to learn about important figures in history that may be left out of the textbooks. The club officers are also hoping to offer seminars and guest speakers.

Fisher emphasized that the club offers a space for students to express their love for history that isn’t being satisfied during the school day.

“I know they’re interested in doing research into historical figures that you don’t learn about in the classroom, but might be important to people because of their interests or because of being a prominent woman or minority, whatever it might be,” Fisher said. “They want to highlight some historical figures that might not be in the textbook or the course curriculum, and giving people a chance to get together and talk about them and learn about them.”

Gao added that membership in History Club could be interesting to students who are interested in learning in general, not just history.

“You don’t have to be particularly interested in history,” Gao said. “Anyone who has a passion for learning new things in general [would enjoy joining the club], not just particularly history, because there are many fields that are covered in history, any student who has a passion for learning.”
Gao, Foley and Fisher are finalizing details for the structure of the club and format of meetings. History Club will hold its first formal meeting in the week following spring break. Watch the Solon High School website and listen to the morning announcements for more information on how to join the club, or contact Gao at [email protected] or Foley at [email protected] for more information.