The history club at St. Rose High School is starting to hit its stride. The club is starting to
add a variety of members that share an interest in history. Members of the history club meet
once per week discussing interesting events. However discussions are not the only thing that
define the club, the members also watch a variety of informational videos to expand their
knowledge on the topics. For example, the club has watched a video on the French Revolution that was very popular among those involved with the history club because there were comical parts and the video was very educational as a whole. Another hot topic for the club was the Titanic. The students really took up an interest in this topic and had a general idea on the event but wanted to learn about it on a deeper level. Through the club, the students were able to hear things about the Titanic that they have never heard before, allowing them to use the deeper knowledge whenever the topic comes about in the future.
According to the club, not all history has to be taken seriously. Satire of history is a big
part of the club. For example, many comedy skits are shown portraying the world history.

Many believe that one of the keys to drawing the attention of students is through comedy. When the kids are laughing they tend to be more focused because they are listening so they will not miss out on a laugh. The club takes advantage of this and uses it to give the group a chance to learn about world events on a comical level.

The teacher that helped the histroy club get off the ground was Mr. Downey. Mr. Downey
is the perfect fit for this club due to his history and background. First of all, Mr. Downey is an excellent choice for this position because he is a history teacher. More importantly however, he is wonderful for this position because he is a war veteran. This is very important to the success of the club because Mr. Downey can educate the members based on personal experience.

The leaders of the history club are juniors John O’Hearn and Kaitlin Corr and freshman
Justin Miller. As John O’Hearn said, “I love the history club because it helps me expand my
knowledge while also having a fun time”. The club is encouraging all of those who are interested in history to join the club as they will be able to get a better grasp on not only American history, but world history as well.

By Jack McDonough