by Claire Carter | Staff Writer
Two groups of students gather around in rooms on the second floor A wing for their meetings. Their passionate yells about abortion and healthcare can be heard from the hallway. Who are the teenagers and what are they arguing about? The most passionate politically minded students around, the Young Republicans and CTJ Liberals club.
“Our club was created so students could have a place for open discussion of ideas where you wouldn’t be attacked for your political opinion,” junior Max Fang, creator of the CTJ Liberals club said.
Debates between political parties takeover Facebook news feeds, and whether the posts sound uninformed or like something from a Fox News talk show, students notice them and begin to generate opinions.
“Our club was restarted because we wanted to take the debates we had from Facebook and put them into a club of likeminded students so we could debate our political ideas,” junior Brandon Rodriguez, president of the Young Republicans club, said.
Sponsors of each club share political interests in their parties and are delighted to see these political ideas being formed in high school students. They feel it is important for students to express interest in politics because, as citizens, they should know what their government looks like and how it should be.
“I wanted to be the sponsor of this club because I love my country and I think the future of this country belongs to the youth. Kids should know the principles of the Constitution that this nation was founded on and the freedoms they have,” english teacher Mrs. Burnett, sponsor of the Young Republicans club said.
Students enjoy being able to congregate with politically likeminded students and discuss their beliefs in a calm environment. This opportunity intrigues students of all grades, in hopes to attract a large population of Johnson to further educate students.
“This club provides great opportunities for students to express themselves and decide where they stand on issues. The club is great because it helps students educate each other and share political beliefs and opinions,” world history teacher Justin Felux, sponsor of the CTJ Liberals club said.
