New club arises from present passions regarding lessons of the past
History is being made by three West students who have come together to create a club that embraces their common fascination with the past.
The club began to develop when History Club president and senior Ethyn Montgomery, and two of his friends, found a lack of space to express their love for the subject.
“History Club is a place for West students to talk about historical events,” he said. “This club is meant to give both history buffs and other West students a place where they can nerd out about different historical events.”
Social studies teacher, as well as advisor for the new club, Michael Allen, shares similar sentiments.
“It provides another population in the school, like another alternative,” he said. “You always have those history folks, once you learn more about the history it becomes more interesting.”
Fellow senior founding historian Landin Huisman’s motive of starting the club, however, was incredibly simple.
“Our purpose when creating the club was to get all those interested in the subject together so we could share our takes on the lessons learned,” he said. “I have always enjoyed discussing history with my friends. I wanted to create a place at school to discuss history with even more people.”
Huisman enjoys being able to express their passions for the subject on a larger scale.
“Our idea was born due to extended talks between some of my friends. We came to the realization that our love for history talks might reach beyond our small group,” he said. “In other words, myself and the other founders believe that there are tons of people that take interest in history but simply have no outlet to express themselves.”
The two head historians are excited to move their casual chats into a more formal setting alongside Montgomery.
“My role is to coordinate with our club advisor to make sure that the history club is running smoothly. Additionally, with the help of the club's head historians [Huisman and senior Lukas Petroski], the leadership team of the club as a whole is tasked with getting new members and administrating the discussions,” Montgomery said.
Although club meetings haven’t officially started yet, they already have plans for how they will be conducted.
“During each meeting, we will randomly choose a question from a list created by our members,” Montgomery said. “We would then discuss the topic of that question and debate with one another.”
Allen hopes for the club to develop into something that helps students find history more appealing than a traditional classroom experience.
“Maybe this will become a modern issue thing. We may be comparing particular eras with what’s going on today. Or have some sort of debate,” he said. “So you’ll have a club that isn’t just talking about history. We will try to create something that’s a bit more engaging.”
Not only does the club plan to be filled with dialogue and discussion, it also plans to help West students learn more than they would in a traditional classroom.
“This club will give West students a place to discuss their favorite historical topics and debate with fellow students,” said Montgomery. “Additionally, there would be immense learning opportunities for West students, with the possibility of a tutoring program in the future.”
Huisman believes students will be able to reap similar benefits.
“Most obviously, it’s an output for those sharing similar interests,” he said. “However, we are currently playing with the idea of student to student assistance in classes that deal with history.”
The club hopes to feed members’ hunger for historical knowledge beyond their comfort zones.
“I know the students that started it know a lot about certain topics,” Allen said. “Once you get a good ground work, you kind of just want to keep talking about it, so some of the students might want to find other people like that.”
History club plans to get rolling soon, beginning with an organizational meeting at the start of second semester, followed by weekly W-hour meetings on Fridays. According to Huisman, these discussions will aim to create present excitement about the past.
“The History Club is a club with the goal of sharing the joys and wisdom learned throughout history.”
by Tenna Ruetten and Zosia Bowlus Jasinski
Published January 29 2024
Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue IV