Members of the Political Club typically meet after school in Bryan Ashkettle’s room to discuss politics and organize events.

SHS Political Club, advised by Bryan Ashkettle, provides a voice for students, registers new voters and offers volunteer opportunities for students. The club aims to become a center for political debates and discourse.

Read what Ashkettle has to say about the club below.

Q: Why did you start Political Club? Why did you have an interest in it?

A: Well, way before I even got here, there was an active Young Democrats Club, and there was an active Young Conservative Club. That’s prior to, I think, 2004, Solon High School had one. I took over the Young Dems because the position came open. And then when the Young Conservatives didn’t have an advisor, I did the same. Maybe it was a five or six-year period of time, the two organizations would meet separately. Occasionally they would get together to have debates or whatever, but they were separate entities. But what happened recently, and I think maybe three years ago, and I kinda like it, is the kids just decided to come together each time they did something, and sort of worked together, and it became more– not that they don’t argue and debate, they do, but most of it’s just working together to get kids registered to vote. That’s a big, big part of it bringing speakers from both sides. I was particularly excited the one year they had the city council debate here at Solon, and that was put on both the Young Conservatives and Young Dems worked together to put that on. It was really cool. That’s what I’d like to see ’em do more often though.

Q: Do you think that it’s better that the clubs are merged together or kept separate?

A: Yeah, and I’m not gonna pretend that it doesn’t get contentious at times, and they don’t argue, and they will, and especially in those debates. I mean, we live in 2025, in incredibly polarized times, but I think that’s important to work together and know where other people, where they stand, try to come up with some common ground. And for the most part, they’ve done a good job of that.

Q: With the current political climate, do you think it is more important for students to be politically aware, and what do you think that Political Clubs role is in that?

A: It’s still a republic. We still have a democracy. We have to be able to listen to one another. We have to be able to talk to one another. I think, at times, people become too afraid to get involved because our politics is so ugly at times, and people are quick to be offended and quick to snap to anger. But, I think that’s kind of a rarity for our kids, and I think it’s learning to be an adult. In some ways, they do better than adults in listening to one another and appreciating each other’s point of view. So, I think it’s a really important role right now, ’cause when we can’t even talk to one another, we’re afraid of offending somebody, or afraid of getting embroiled in some conversation. We just can’t learn, we don’t move forward, we don’t solve world problems like we need to.

Q: How do you all bring in new members? Because politics isn’t the most interesting thing for a lot of teens.

A: We’ve never been a huge club, member-wise. I mean, we’re not like SADD or Student Council. It’s not our thing. It’s not a money club either. It’s just literally at the beginning of each month, we have a debate topic in the room, or the kids come up with their own. They get soda and snacks, and for 45 minutes, they discuss debates, and then people help out, I would like it maybe to be bigger, but we typically have 15 to 20 solid members who participate, and to be honest, that seems about right with what I’m asking to do.

Q: With November coming up, and the midterms next year, how will Political Club get people registered to vote, get volunteer positions and really get them engaged in the political process?

A: Yeah, that’s another thing. So it’s not just the voter registration. What I try to do, and it makes it easier when it is election years, but I put out there where kids can [volunteer] through our Google Classroom. I always put volunteer opportunities from both sides of the political spectrum. You could work, [politician’s look] for people to help with their re-election campaign, and I got a lot of kids involved that way. I mean, it’s outside of Solon High School, but if they’re truly interested in maybe studying Poli Sci, that’s the best thing that they can do–start working for campaigns right away. So, that’s something I’ll do for the midterm elections and the presidential election year. And also on both ends of the political spectrum, do the same for a senior project. So if you were a senior, and you said, “Hey, Mr. Ashkettle, do you have any opportunities?” I’ll have like a list of ’em for you. Like, “I know these people are looking for help.” And so, I think that’s pretty important. You know, as we teach political efficacy. In my government class, we do a lot of simulations and stuff, but that’s the nice thing about being a junior or senior in high school being involved in the Politics Club– there’s enough real-world stuff. You don’t have to play make-believe. You can get involved right away and make a difference if you feel strongly about it–any issue.

Q: Do you think that there’s a majority political bias? Are the majority of members Democrats? Or are they Republicans?

A: Solon [has a liberal bend], and this isn’t no secret, you can look it up. New York Times does a really, really highly accurate map of all the precincts in Ohio…Both Harris and Biden won all of the precincts in Solon by, I think, it was over 60%. So that’s sort of a bias. But it’s interesting. They have conservative officers here. In places where you find a lot of liberal progressives, like a fairly liberal place, in certain colleges or universities, you’ll find very active Republican, young Republican groups. And that’s the way it should be. It should be the tyranny of the majority. Minority voices are always heard and appreciated. So, although we have mostly probably Democrat, we were well represented with conservative kids, and kids that supported the president. And, I think that’s important. All voices need to be heard.

Q: On the, “All voices need to be heard,” a lot of people feel like their politicians don’t listen to them, or it’s all about the money. How do you twist that and make political club members not give into a passive attitude?

A: Other than my daughter’s,  there’s very few kid’s pictures I have up on my walls, but one of them is of Sam Feudo…He’s in medical school right now and working on becoming a doctor. And Sam was so involved… in politics early on. And, even as a junior or senior, [he] was in Health and Human Services and reforming healthcare. You don’t have to wait around until after college. You can do stuff now. We had the [a] kid, who was a paid staffer on Obama’s campaign when he was 17 or 18. So, you can do a lot of great stuff. You don’t have to wait until afterwards.

Q: What is your message to students? Why shouldn’t they feel scared to share their beliefs when they join this club?

A: Well, if you’re interested in political science beyond a hobby, this is a really good group for you. Because it can, like I said, get you involved right away in doing adult work, professional work. And if you’re just interested in politics…  this is the right club for you because you can learn about the issues. I think it’s also important–one of my favorite quotes is from Justice Stevens, who’s been on the Supreme Court, “To understand before you disagree.” And I think so often, we just rush into our corners and scream and pass one another, not even listening to what the other side says. And I think it’s important that we listen and appreciate where they’re coming from on issues.

Political Club’s mission of getting voters registered and providing a space for debate and disagreement allows for students to become educated about issues, from both sides of the aisle. According to Ashkettle, divisiveness in our politics today prevents us from listening to one another, and the political club is trying to cut through the noise.