Whiz Kid(s): Elkins Pointe Middle School History Society

This week, we focus on not just one Whiz Kid, but a group of them. Meet Roswell Patch's Whiz Kid(s) of the Week: Charter Members of Elkins Pointe Middle School's History Society.

○ The EPMS History Society's “key to awesomeness” is: A desire and commitment to start a one-of-a-kind middle school club while they learn about the rich local history of Roswell and volunteerism that benefits the city ... and making a little history of their own, in the process.

When 12-year veteran teacher Joe Wilson began talks with his colleague and fellow social studies instructor Andy Irvin about forming a new club for students at Elkins Pointe Middle School, he thought there might be some interest from the Roswell school’s students.

“Honestly, I expected that maybe 10 kids that really, really like history would join,” Wilson said. “I never would have guessed that our charter membership would push past the 40-member mark.”

“I was pleasantly surprised at the number of kids who wanted to join, but it wasn’t totally a shock,” Irvin said. “Most kids who have had either me or Mr. Wilson for Social Studies know that we are big-time into our subjects. Maybe that was a good selling point!”

Not only did they show up, those 40-plus students would also elect officers and sign the first-ever charter for the EPMS History Society. While that would have been enough for some club members, that was just the start of History Society’s enthusiastic entry into club-creating. The members decided to try to obtain an official membership in the National History Club; they also committed to developing a website and newsletter about their club’s activities – all of which would have to take place in the kids’ spare time ... on weekends.

EPMS’s History Society charter members are currently responsible for paying their own way for any entry fees during field trips, and convincing their parents to volunteer as chaperones. That’s because the club receives no funding from Fulton County Schools ... or from the state ... or any federal grants. Not yet, anyway.

“As a startup organization, we began with no money at all,” Wilson said. “Plus, we started the club late in the first semester. Funding for our second semester trips hinge on a fundraising week that includes a Chick-fil-A food sale, a bake sale and a Hat Day [fundraiser where students pay money for the opportunity to wear a hat to school].”

Next year, Wilson and Irvin are hoping to apply for grants given through organizations like the Georgia Humanities Council and Rotary International, to support day trips for the students.

In the meantime, the History Society charter members will be involved in a project that will allow the students to do something special for the city where they live.

“Our main focus is to provide a place where kids can enjoy history without the stuffiness of a classroom, while giving back to the community,” Wilson said. “We are working with local historic preservationist and archaeologist Connie Huddleston to help restore the Old Roswell Cemetery near Woodstock Road. It is our hope to fix the broken headstones, identify and document gravesites, and return the site to its former glory.”

Three weekends this spring have been set aside for the EPMS History Society to work on the project. "We have set aside three weekends to work on this project. It is our hope that every veteran's grave gets decorated and unmarked graves,” Wilson said.

Previous outings for the Elkins Pointe club members included a trip to Kennesaw Mountain, where the students took in a presentation about the area’s civil war battles. Recently, the club’s charter members took a tour of the .

So, after nearly a full year of exploring history with students, has it all been worth it? According to Irvin, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

“Mr. Wilson and I had talked for quite some time about starting a club for kids who shared, like we do, a passion for All Things History,” Irvin said. “We figured, ‘There’s a club for everything else -- why not a History Club?’ We couldn’t wait to expose the kids to so many interesting places, both locally and nationally-recognized, like battle sites. We also wanted to educate the kids on local Roswell history, all the while finding a way to give back to the community.”

Wilson, an eighth-generation Georgian whose specialty is the state’s history, adds, “We thought that a specialization in local history would be appropriate for our students, given the numerous contributions made to our state and nation by local figures. I've taught eighth grade Georgia history for the majority of my career and I've always enjoyed the fact that one could go out and ‘touch’ the history learned in school.”

And by creating the county’s first middle school club designed to combine learning about history with community volunteerism, charter members of the Elkins Pointe Middle School History Society have made history all their own.