At the start of the new semester, students had opportunities to share their passions with others around campus by creating clubs. One of the new additions was the Wilmington, Delaware Club.
Founded by President Nima Etemadi (11), the club centers around the history of the largest city in Delaware and the culture intertwined in it. There is a specific focus on the 1960s since the Civil Rights Movement deeply affected the area’s culture even into today.
Etemadi shared how the club came to be: “I had gotten interested in the history of Wilmington and my friends joined in on it, and soon it just kind of spread. It got to the point where I didn’t even know how many people had gotten into it, so I figured having a club where everyone could gather, discuss and learn about this specific history would be a really nice, if somewhat odd, addition to the student body here at Aliso.”
The club about Wilmington is vastly different from both the topics of other clubs and also what students learn in school. While the Wilmington, Delaware Club is filled with history, it remains very engaging for students due to the fascinating events that happen throughout the city and the interesting people involved in them.
The club is separate from the history that is taught in classes and no one is forced to sit through lectures; therefore, there is a unique bond between club members who genuinely enjoy the same topic.
Etemadi said, “Our original idea was to teach people, little by little, about Wilmington’s history, and for the most part we’re still doing that. However, we soon found out that people who join this club are already really interested and they learn really fast, so we’ve been increasing the amount of information and topics covered.”
All of the club members have the same passion for learning about the history and culture of Wilmington that Etemadi had when he first started researching. The common curiosity among students has allowed for the club to expand beyond its original, simple intentions into a larger scale club.
Etemadi added, “Also, we’re trying to lean a lot into the community aspect through club outings and other activities that both focus on what we’re doing while just making the club a fun thing to join.”
Since the club was founded this year, there have not been many meetings yet. They will typically start with a brief historical lesson on a person or event from Wilmington, which is usually from the 1960s Civil Rights Era. Following the information, members will play trivia or Kahoot games to review the session and past knowledge.
In order to further the community aspect he mentioned, Etemadi wants to organize Wilmington events outside of school, though they are not yet set.
To learn more about Wilmington and have fun historical experiences with classmates, students can join the club. They meet on the third Thursday of the month in P9, Mrs. Wright’s room.
