Students start Economics club

From+left+to+right%2C+co-founders+of+the+Economic+Club+junior+Joseph+Henley+and+Aaron+Toth+smile+next+to+their+teacher+sponsor+Kevin+Crimmins.+

PHOTO Gracie Warda

From left to right, co-founders of the Economic Club junior Joseph Henley and Aaron Toth smile next to their teacher sponsor Kevin Crimmins.

Cameron Carlson, Writer

Not only are there a wide variety of courses offered at Fenton High, but there are also many extracurriculars available to students of all interests. New extracurriculars are created constantly; the most recent being Economics Club. Their first meeting was held earlier this month to jumpstart the club’s focus on economic concepts and the impact people’s daily lives have on the economy.

“During my free time, I was doing some research and found an economics competition from the Regional Federal Reserve that’s offered to high school students,” junior Joseph Henley, Economics Club co-founder, said. “I wanted to participate, so I decided the best way would be to create a club where we could actively learn new economic concepts and discuss them.”

At FHS, anyone can create a club as long as there is a teacher sponsor and it is approved by the administration. As the Economics Club found out, sometimes more people are interested in a club than originally expected.

 “Ten people showed up for the first meeting,” Henly said. “In all honesty, I didn’t know that many people were interested in economics. I thought only a few people would go, but it was nice to have such a large group to discuss with.”

That amount of attendees might seem small compared to that of the well-established clubs such as Key Club and National Honor Society (NHS), which have as many as 100 members who consecutively attend meetings and/or events, but Economics Club is still in the making and has goals for the future. 

“Everyone can have a concern over economics since we all live in an economy,” junior Aaron Toth, Economics Club co-founder, said. “I helped start the club because of my interest in macroeconomics and the economic competition. Many larger schools do this activity every year, so representing Fenton Schools will show others that Fenton has the programs to compete; especially since most other schools only offer the Advanced Placement (AP) Economics class, whereas Fenton offers International Baccalaureate (IB) Economics.”

IB Economics teacher Kevin Crimmins is the sponsor of the club. As sponsor, he has made sure the club always has a place to meet, and he sees a future for the club.

“Students participating in Economics Club will learn more about Economics than what is taught in the curriculum,” Crimmins said. “I would like [students] to see that economics can be a fun and interesting pursuit, both in high school and beyond.” 

As much as this club was created to discuss economic concepts and compete at the Federal Reserve, it was also created to spread said discussions and knowledge throughout the community.

“I plan on traveling to the Federal Reserve to give an analysis of the economy,” Henly said. “I don’t know how far we’ll go in the competition, but I hope we’ll gain the skills necessary to do well next year, and more importantly, build a stronger awareness of the factors that influence our daily lives. That way, more people will become aware of greater economic concepts and will share with the community the greater shifts they see in the ever more complex economic system that we are all part of.”

At the competition, the Economics Club will present common factors affecting the United States’ economy and the trends of that economy today. Besides the competition though, the new club also has other aspirations.

“I hope that this club continues long after Joe and I graduate,” Toth said. “I also hope that the club will continue growing and educating those who want to learn about monetary policy.”