The BHS geography club, founded this year by juniors Shayna Kelly and Victoria Adobamen, teaches members about the history and geography of countries around the world. 

Adobamen explained the purpose of the club.

“The geography club [is] a space where students can explore and learn more about our world while having fun,” she said. “It also provides a platform for members to share their knowledge of geography, support their peers and develop public speaking skills through opportunities to give presentations on regions they are passionate about.”

The club meets in social studies teacher Joe Petraiuolo’s room on Tuesdays after school where they review key facts about each country. More than 20 members have been showing up to the meetings. 

“We typically do presentations on the flags, shape of countries, fun facts, landscapes and languages,” Kelly said. “We then give them blookets or kahoots that review the information and hand out candy prizes at the end.”

Adobamen and Kelly were motivated to found the club due to their own passion for geography and their desire to educate their peers on the geography of the world

“When I was younger I was really interested in geography and memorized all the flags, country shapes,” Kelly said.

They were also motivated by what they found to be a surprising lack of basic geographical knowledge on the part of their classmates. 

“Having grown up in [Nigeria] a country where even basic knowledge of the world was expected, it was surprising to me to see that many students here struggle with simple geography facts,” Adobamen said. “At the same time, many [American] schools, like Beachwood, don’t offer a geography class.”

The founders appreciate that geography can help build connections with other fields of study. 

“Geography encompasses a range of things, It doesn’t just mean flags,” Kelly said. “What’s so important about geography is that it connects to so many of our classes [which is why it]  is such an important thing to [learn] about.” 

In the future, club leaders hope to visit cultural events and museums. They also hope to connect with geography clubs at other schools. 

“[We hope to] host competitions that allow members to showcase their geographic knowledge,” Adobamen said.

Kelly and Adobamen emphasized that everyone should have basic knowledge of the world they live in. In addition to academic knowledge, Geography can also be a valuable social asset.

“Geography opens your eyes to the world, and when you meet someone from another country, even a little knowledge about their culture can be impressive and helpful,” Adobamen Said.

The club is useful for everyone, including people who are already knowledgeable about geography. 

“For those who already know a lot about these countries, we add in fun, interesting information about the countries,” Kelly said. “We also provide snacks every meeting and are planning to expand on the amount of snacks that we bring to meetings.”