NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter is being established at NorthShore Classical Academy (NCA) before the school opens.
“We are confirming that we are an American club division of Turning Point USA. It’s a high school club. And back in March, we confirmed that we want to be a part of this movement. And we’re not even open yet,” NCA President Cheryle Rebholz told Fox News Digital.
NCA will open in September 2026.
After Charlie Kirk’s massive memorial service on Sept. 13, TPUSA announced it had received more than 120,000 inquiries from people wanting to start new campus chapters.
Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University pushed TPUSA into its greatest prominence yet and there is a nationwide push to support the organization. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who was named CEO and chair of the board of TPUSA after his death, currently operates 900 college chapters and about 1,200 high school chapters.
A member of Hillsdale Curriculum Schools, NCA wants to join the phenomenon of supporting TPUSA. Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education Office issues licenses to the college’s K-12 curriculum to schools “who share the objective of leading students towards intellectual, moral, and civic virtue in a traditional education setting,” their website states.
NCA is the first private classical Hillsdale high school, according to Rebholz.
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) exploded after former Oklahoma state school superintendent Ryan Walters pledged to have chapters at every high school in the state and chapters are growing across the south. (Turning Point USA)
UTAH PARENT CLAIMS SON’S SCHOOL IS SINGLING OUT TURNING POINT USA CHAPTER FROM BEING FULLY RECOGNIZED
“You have to apply and then go through the process of an application, and they vet you. And I wanted to, because of their strong civics, their strong philosophy, to restore excellence, rigor and to stretch our young adults in high school,” Rebholz said. She continued, “There is a pent-up demand and a need in our community for the first private classical Hillsdale high school. With four pathways, which include college prep, career technical ed, military civic leadership, and entrepreneurship.”
Rebholz’s announcement came after a controversy occurred with another Hillsdale-affiliated school and a student wanting to establish a TPUSA chapter.
Lake Country Classical Academy, a Hillsdale College-affiliated K-12 school, rejected a TPUSA chapter, prompting former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and a Turning Point USA staff member to speak out.
After the fallout over the TPUSA chapter, LCCA is developing a similar club.
“We clarified our fidelity to Hillsdale’s model and curriculum,” Principal Margaret Hagedorn of LCCA told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
Hagedorn said that LCCA is creating a civics club instead of a TPUSA chapter. The LCCA has not approved student clubs affiliated with outside political or religious organizations since its inception. The policy is reflected in Hillsdale’s guidance and their Family Handbook, which “refers to extracurricular clubs as ‘enrichment classes.'”
“Club America” chapters ideally host a meeting twice a month for conservative students to express their values and ideas. The chapters host activities based on themes that could entail patriotism, sports, taxes or other topics. (Turning Point USA)
“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,” she said.
TPUSA announced their partnership in the effort to establish a civics club.
However, LCCA is reportedly under fire for developing the civics club as opposed to the TPUSA chapter.
Before LCCA’s discussions with TPUSA, many parents and critics slammed the Hillsdale-affiliated school for failing to approve a student’s effort to launch a TPUSA chapter.
The National Enterprise Director of Turning Point Action, Brett Galaszewski, blasted LCCA shortly after learning that the TPUSA chapter wasn’t approved.
Galaszewski applauded NCA for establishing a TPUSA chapter, claiming that “this is a no-brainer.”
TURNING POINT’S ‘CLUB AMERICA’ CHAPTERS AND WHY THEY’RE GROWING IN OKLAHOMA AND THE SOUTH
Hillsdale Curriculum High Schools are different from being a Hillsdale College Member School as those schools are more closely affiliated with Hillsdale College. Hillsdale College Member Schools receive curriculum, consultation and training from the Hillsdale K-12 Education Office.
Walker, an honorary member of LCCA’s board, shared Galaszewski’s post on X, saying that the TPUSA chapter should have been approved.
The board wrote a letter to parents, saying that they have been “in close consultation with our internal and external resources” about the fallout over the TPUSA chapter.
UT CHATTANOOGA OVERRULES STUDENT GOVERNMENT, APPROVES TPUSA CHAPTER AFTER REJECTION FIGHT
Rebholz said that students will learn skills while being involved in “Club America,” which are TPUSA’s high school chapters.
Catie Smiley, a junior at Hillsdale College-affiliated Lake Country Classical Academy (LCCA), was galvanized to join the momentum of Turning Point USA chapters growing across the country in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death. (Turning Point USA)
“Club America” chapters ideally host a meeting twice a month for conservative students to express their values and ideas. The chapters host activities based on themes that could entail patriotism, sports, taxes or other topics. For instance, “Club America” chapters hosted “Free Speech Week” and “United We Stand” for the week of September 11.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The clubs set up tables on their high school’s campus to promote TPUSA and typically bring in conservative speakers once a semester.
“We were happy to get on board and bring this option to our students once they come into school, and they can organize themselves. And then use this club as a support club for the strong civics that Hillsdale Academy, Hillsdale College provides us,” Rebholz said.
“They will bring in local, state and federal candidates who are running for office, as well as who’s already in office. They will help. Run mock elections so they know what’s a partisan office and a non-partisan and hopefully, at the very end, when they graduate, they will register to vote and be great citizens,” Rebholz added.
