At Pine View, a new club has students looking beyond the school walls- literally. Geography Club, founded last year, allows students to engross themselves in new countries, turning classrooms into culturally immersive experiences.
The purpose of each meeting is not simply to gather facts, but also to see different places in the eyes of the members themselves. Every Monday in English teacher Elizabeth Loyer’s classroom, the responsibility of creating and presenting a country rotates from member to member. So far, countries and regions such as Malawi and Alberta have been dissected for characteristics such as economy, geopolitics and human geography.
These presentations are followed by numerous rounds of GeoGuessr, an online geography game that challenges players to guess locations around the world using only visual clues from Google Street View.
By utilizing this unique approach of extreme member participation, President and Co-Founder Cole Reuter hopes that genuine interest in geography continues to remain present in the meetings.
“I’d like to say that I’m really happy with how the members are creating their own presentations and presenting places that they’re interested in… it creates a community of ‘Okay who’s up next? Who wants to rise to the occasion?’” Reuter said.
Geography club has quickly become a place where learning extends beyond textbooks. Co-founder Liana Le recalls an interesting facts that was shared during their recent meeting about Alberta: a rat infestation, the severity of which caused a shift in economy and agriculture. Presented by senior Nelson Rapalo, the depth of his research is a testament to the dedication that each club member exhibits.
Specific topics like these are the core foundation of Geography club’s authentic environment, and over time the members have grown close.
“I will definitely miss everyone in the club,” Le said. “It’s just a lot of my friends and a lot of people that I didn’t know I would be friends with, or I didn’t know they would be into geography. It’s really cool to see them excited.”
Additional key members include Social Media Manager Kolton Balzan and Sergeant-at-Arms Jack Scarlett. Balzan keeps the club’s social media presence relevant, while Scarlett has the role of ensuring the meetings run according to plan.
With an abundance of motivated members, it is evident that they are not only students with passion for maps, but also future global citizens who are eager to explore the world around them.