Educational TikToks, interesting history presentations and captivating field trips are only a few of the engaging activities that the members of the History Club partake in. 

Led by its Tri-Presidents; juniors Ella Kotok, Elana Skolnick-Einhorn and Devorah Freeman, the newly revived CESJDS History Club meets every Tuesday during Community Time, with regular involvement of about 10 members. 

The original JDS History Club was active in the late 2010s but dissolved due to key members graduating and further uninvolvement. This past October, the History Department decided that it was the right time to give the club another go.

“[The History Department] thought of the restoration of the History Club because there was one in the past, and we thought it would be a good way to expand learning beyond just the curriculum in the classes so we decided to put the idea out there and get interest among the students,” History Department Chair and co-advisor of the club Mark Buckley said.

Soon after that, the attempt to recreate the club was mentioned throughout most high school history classes, and it seemed that students were all for this idea. 

“We heard one day in history that they wanted to revive the History Club, and all of us felt really excited to help with that journey and bring excitement to history,” Skolnick-Einhorn said,  “It is a topic that people can enjoy studying but don’t always know how fun it can be.” 

The club explores a variety of different ways to learn history, whether it’s with other clubs, outside of school or among its own members.

“A lot of the time we plan presentations with other clubs such as with the Diversity Club and we do activities with them. We also plan field trips or talk about current events, and talk about this week in history events,” Freeman said.

With an emphasis on having fun in an educational environment, the members of the club learn about history in ways that are creative and more appealing to teenagers. 

“My favorite memory that I have with the History Club would have to be making the first official History Club tiktok [account]. It was meaningful to learn history and apply our knowledge in such a fun and modern way,” junior and member of the club Molly Isen said.

In November, members of the History Club were given the opportunity to expand their learning to a new environment, taking a short trip on a Sunday to a museum in downtown Washington DC.

“We went to the National Museum of American Indian which was a really good field trip because there were a lot of interesting exhibits with artifacts and things to read,” Skolnick-Einhorn said.

For many students, the club provides a great opportunity to learn about a topic they enjoy in a stress-free and friendly environment.

“I really like to see students taking initiative and being interested in history outside of the driving force of taking a required class and getting a good grade, but being genuinely interested and engaged in history,” Buckley said.

After a productive first few months of the new History Club, the presidents continue coming up with ideas in order to improve the club and set up for a successful future.

“The future of the club is that we want to grow involvement and get more members and we want to have more frequent and effective field trips and also school wide activities,” Freeman said.