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The mother of a high school student shared with Fox News Digital how her daughter was inspired by Charlie Kirk to start a Turning Point USA chapter at her school.
“She was deeply moved by Charlie’s work. She actually has been long involved, going to different young Americans events around the college campuses,” Melissa Smiley told Fox News Digital.
Catie Smiley, a junior at Hillsdale College-affiliated Lake Country Classical Academy (LCCA), was galvanized to join the momentum of Turning Point USA chapters growing across the country in the wake of Kirk’s death.
“She had caught wind that there had been an attempt for Turning Point chapters. She’s very motivated by the mission, and she felt it aligned so well with the school as well as giving an opportunity for students to engage in debates and civil discourse–giving them an opportunity to network and to have exposure to leaders across a variety of institutions and in the public sphere as well,” Catie’s mother added.
Catie and her peers worked together to deliver a presentation for LCCA officials about opening a TPUSA chapter on campus. Her mother said they presented a “wonderful presentation.”
However, from the outset of Catie’s effort to start a chapter, the high school junior experienced some obstacles. The school rejected the chapter, citing a policy that prohibits political organizations and clubs in the school.
LCCA’s rejection of the club caused backlash from Smiley and other parents, prompting former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, an honorary board member of LCCA, and a Turning Point Action staff member, to speak out in support of Catie.
With the help of Walker and Turning Point Action, Catie reached out to LCCA officials to express frustration about the chapter being denied.
Principal Margaret Hagedorn of Lake Country Classical Academy sent Fox News Digital the following statement after she spoke with Catie and her mother about their efforts to start a chapter.
“We clarified our fidelity to Hillsdale’s model and curriculum. After good discussions with TPUSA, we’ve agreed to create a school-sanctioned Civics Club that will promote civic practice for students and complement the hard work we do here within the parameters of the school’s own policies,” Hagedorn told Fox News Digital.
LCCA is a Hillsdale College Member School which is more closely affiliated with Hillsdale College than Hillsdale Curriculum Schools. Hillsdale College Member Schools receive curriculum, consultation, and training from the Hillsdale K-12 Education Office.
The LCCA has not approved student clubs affiliated with outside political or religious organizations since its inception. The policy is reflected in Hilldale’s guidance and their Family Handbook, which “refers to extracurricular clubs as ‘enrichment classes.’”
After the backlash, LCCA is working toward approving a chapter and reviewing their policy. The board wrote a letter to concerned parents on Monday, saying that they have been working on how to move forward.
Catie’s mother shared how her daughter was motivated to get involved after Kirk was assassinated.
“She was extremely moved by that. She’s been to a couple of vigils, and she just really felt the pull to actually work on this now. So we worked together. I helped her with the resources and everything. She got in touch with a field rep. They were helping her through and it looks signed, sealed, and delivered,” she said.
Kirk, who would have turned 32 on Tuesday, was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House.
After LCCA and TPUSA both announced that a chapter was being established on campus, Melissa Smiley applauded the effort, saying that it shows that the younger generation of conservatives are stepping up.
“The attention that this draws to the greater issue and how wonderful that young people and these younger generations are feeling so motivated, and they’re seeing that things need to happen and change,” she said. “And they’re being activists. I admire it because, when I was younger, I was too afraid to be any type of activist. So I think it’s fantastic that they feel so emboldened and that they can help kind of bridge some of the discourse that’s happening in the country.”
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