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**A Wisconsin School’s Turning Point: The Push for a Conservative Student Club**
In recent weeks, Lake Country Classical Academy (LCCA), a Hillsdale College-affiliated charter school in Wisconsin, has found itself at the center of a debate over student expression and the role of political organizations in public education. The controversy began when Catie Smiley, a 17-year-old junior at LCCA, sought to establish a chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) at her school. Her request was initially denied by school administrators, sparking a wave of criticism from parents, prominent conservatives, and supporters of student-led civic engagement.
Turning Point USA, a national organization dedicated to promoting conservative values among young people, has experienced rapid growth following the assassination of its founder, Charlie Kirk. In the aftermath of Kirk’s death, TPUSA has reported a surge of interest, receiving over 120,000 inquiries from students and parents interested in starting new chapters across the country. Kirk, who was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, left a legacy that continues to inspire students like Catie Smiley to become politically active and to advocate for their beliefs within their schools.
Catie’s motivation to start a TPUSA chapter was deeply personal. Inspired by Charlie Kirk’s work and having previously participated in various youth-oriented conservative events, she saw the establishment of a chapter at LCCA as a way to honor Kirk’s vision and to provide her peers with a platform for civic engagement. Her mother, Melissa Smiley, who has three children attending LCCA, supported her daughter’s initiative and became an outspoken advocate for the proposed club.
When LCCA’s administration rejected Catie’s request, citing a longstanding policy that prohibits student clubs affiliated with outside political or religious organizations, Melissa took action. She wrote a letter to the school’s board expressing her frustration and urging the administration to reconsider. The school’s position was rooted in its adherence to the Hillsdale College model and curriculum, which emphasizes a classical education and restricts the formation of extracurricular clubs to those considered “enrichment classes” rather than extensions of outside groups.
Principal Margaret Hagedorn, in response to parental concerns, clarified that the decision was not based on discrimination against conservative viewpoints. Instead, she explained, the school was committed to maintaining the nonpartisan nature of its extracurricular offerings, as specified in both Hillsdale’s guidance to member schools and LCCA’s own family handbook. “We clarified our fidelity to Hillsdale’s model and curriculum,” Hagedorn stated. “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.”
Despite these assurances, the rejection of the TPUSA chapter generated significant backlash among LCCA’s parent community. Many parents viewed the decision as an unnecessary restriction on student initiative and a missed opportunity to foster leadership and civic engagement. Melissa Smiley was particularly outspoken, describing the school’s actions as symptomatic of broader leadership issues at LCCA. She accused the board of being “complicit in continued suppression of growth and leadership opportunities for the students,” arguing that such actions ran counter to the very principles Charlie Kirk had championed.
The controversy quickly attracted attention beyond the school’s community. Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who serves both as an honorary board member of LCCA and a staff member at Turning Point Action, publicly denounced the school’s initial decision. Walker emphasized the importance of allowing conservative students to have a voice on campus and urged the school to find a way to accommodate the TPUSA chapter within its existing framework.
The debate reached a turning point at a recent LCCA board meeting, where Brett Galaszewski, a Wisconsin-based leader for TPUSA, addressed the board and reiterated Kirk’s vision of establishing a chapter at every school in America. “My ask is Charlie’s ask,” Galaszewski stated. “The board can make this happen and see Charlie’s dream through.” The meeting underscored the strong support for TPUSA among certain parents and community members, as well as the pressure on school leaders to respond to the growing national movement.
Faced with mounting criticism and recognizing the need for a solution that balanced the school’s policies with the aspirations of its students, LCCA’s leadership began