By Guy Page

Braving efforts by opponents to shut them down, two Spaulding High School students are moving forward with the first public meeting of a local high school–level affiliate of Turning Point USA, scheduled for Feb. 20 at the Canadian Club on Route 14 in Barre.

The event is being organized by Spaulding students Fewer and vice president Javion Kastner, who have spent more than a year trying to establish a Turning Point USA presence for high school students in central Vermont. After being unable to secure a required faculty sponsor at their school, the students opted instead to launch a Club America chapter, which operates under the broader Turning Point USA umbrella.

“I started the chapter in December of last year,” Fewer said. “I was always a fan of watching Charlie Kirk debating people. I knew Vermont was one of — if not the most — liberal states in the U.S., and there really wasn’t anything like TPUSA around.”

The Feb. 20 meeting will feature a slate of conservative speakers, including Rep. Michael Boutin, Vermont Republican Party Chair Paul Dame, and Brattleboro-based media commentator Hank “Planet Hank” Poytras. Also scheduled to speak are a Turning Point USA field representative Renee McEvilly, Fewer, Kastner, and several leaders from TPUSA chapters in other states.

Fewer said his effort to organize began even before the August assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, an event that intensified both attention and opposition to the organization nationwide.

“There were a few college chapters in Vermont, but not any high school chapters,” Fewer said. “So many people grow up only hearing one side of politics, and I aimed to change that.”

Opposition to the meeting has included a campaign urging the Canadian Club to cancel the event, according to Fewer. He said those efforts have failed, and the venue has confirmed the meeting will proceed as planned.

“So many people have been emailing the Canadian Club telling them to cancel my event — they will not,” Fewer said. “I really hope they’re very happy with themselves trying to cancel an event put on by two high school students trying to show their patriotism.”

The organizers say the meeting is open to the public and intended to promote political discussion and civic engagement among young people who feel underrepresented in Vermont’s political landscape.