In one of the most politically charged years seen in modern American history, it’s no wonder that some students felt the desire to sit down and simply discuss just what is going on in our society. Which is exactly what three sophomores decided to do.

Mary Martin, Lily Coady, and Victoria Bruzik, all of whom are in the class of 2020, saw the national turmoil and decided to take action. Last spring, they decided that with so much going on in the world, students needed a place to simply talk things out. Thus, the Political Action Committee was born. They recruited English teacher Heidi Foster to be their advisor, and, sure enough, the club began to pick up steam.

With the topic “Take a Stand or Take a Knee,”the group, now called Topics in Politics, prepared for their first meeting last Friday, where they held a conversation about the controversy surrounding kneeling during the national anthem in professional athletics. With more than 15 students in attendance, the discussion-based group got to work.

“It is heartening that young people recognize the importance of understanding these complex issues from a fact based point of view,” said Foster,“A healthy democracy depends on informed citizens.”

The group meets every other Friday, with their next meeting to be held on October 27. “We try to inform each other about what is happening,” said Bruzik. “We are going to be voting in the next election, and so we need to be educated in order to do so.”

With hopes of bringing in speakers and taking trips to meet those directly affected by the issues, the group wants to bring about more discussion and less debating. Designed as a place of learning and not arguing, Topics in Politics offers a safe place to learn more about the world we live in. “I don’t always agree with everyone,” said Coady, “But they’re fun, knowledgeable, and great to have conversations with.”