After Charlie Kirk’s Death, a Teen’s Mission to Keep His Vision Alive Sparks Debate at Her School”

When the auditorium lights dimmed during Charlie Kirk’s memorial service last month, sixteen-year-old Catie Smiley was already crying.

To her, Kirk wasn’t just a voice she’d seen on social media or a name in headlines — he was the figure who had made her believe that students her age could matter in the national conversation. His calls for civic engagement, his unapologetic energy, and his insistence that young Americans “learn to love their country again” had changed how she saw her generation’s role in public life.

So when news of his passing spread, something in her shifted.
“She told me, ‘I can’t just watch from the sidelines anymore,’” said her mother, Melissa Smiley, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

And from that moment, a quiet high-school student in Wisconsin decided she would carry on the work of one of the most polarizing — and admired — youth leaders in modern conservative politics.

A Student’s Vision

Catie is a junior at Lake Country Classical Academy (LCCA), a charter school in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, affiliated with Hillsdale College, a private Christian institution known for its classical education model.

Like many students inspired by civic activism, she had long followed Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), attending youth conferences and networking events. She admired how the group encouraged high-school and college students to engage with current issues and debate ideas openly.

“She was deeply moved by Charlie’s work,” her mother explained. “She’s been to different young Americans’ events around college campuses, and she’s always come back more confident — more determined.”

In the days following Kirk’s memorial, TPUSA reported receiving more than 120,000 inquiries from people interested in starting new chapters. Among them was Catie, who wanted to bring that same energy to her school.

Her idea was simple: open a local TPUSA chapter at LCCA to encourage students to discuss civic issues, develop leadership skills, and build connections beyond campus.

“She felt it aligned so well with the school’s mission — giving students a platform for debate, civil discourse, and exposure to leaders from different institutions,” her mother said.

The Proposal

Catie didn’t rush. With a small team of like-minded classmates, she drafted a detailed presentation for school administrators. The students emphasized that their proposed chapter would focus on civic engagement, not partisan campaigning. They outlined discussion formats, invited guest speakers, and proposed community service projects.

According to her mother, “They presented a wonderful proposal — well-researched, respectful, and rooted in the values of learning and responsibility.”

But the school saw it differently.

LCCA, as a Hillsdale College Member School, follows strict guidelines on extracurricular activities. These schools are part of a national network supported by Hillsdale’s K-12 Education Office, which provides curriculum and teacher training rooted in the classical model of education — focusing on character, citizenship, and reasoned debate.

The rules are clear: no clubs affiliated with outside political or religious organizations.

Within days of Catie’s submission, administrators informed her that the proposed TPUSA chapter couldn’t be approved under school policy.

For Catie, it was a disappointing — and confusing — outcome. “She had worked so hard, and it looked signed, sealed, and delivered,” her mother recalled.

A Backlash and a Conversation

The rejection didn’t end quietly.

Several parents — including Melissa Smiley — questioned whether the decision was consistent with the school’s stated commitment to classical civic education. Many argued that denying students the chance to participate in a national civic-minded organization contradicted the very principles the school sought to instill.

The issue quickly drew outside attention.

Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who serves as an honorary board member of LCCA, expressed public support for Catie’s effort. “Encouraging students to explore civic engagement should never be controversial,” he told Fox News Digital.

Soon after, a representative from Turning Point Action — the political arm of Kirk’s organization — also voiced encouragement for the student’s determination, praising her “courage and leadership.”

What began as a local school matter was suddenly part of a national discussion about free expression, civic participation, and how schools should handle student involvement in outside organizations.

The School Responds

LCCA’s leadership moved swiftly to clarify its position.

Principal Margaret Hagedorn issued a statement to Fox News Digital affirming the school’s respect for student enthusiasm while reiterating its commitment to Hillsdale’s academic model.

“We clarified our fidelity to Hillsdale’s model and curriculum,” Hagedorn said. “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 policies.”

In other words, the TPUSA name wouldn’t appear on campus — but the spirit of what Catie wanted might live on in a new form.

The decision marked a compromise. The new Civics Club, while independent from any national organization, would allow students to engage in structured debates, community outreach, and leadership exercises. For school officials, it was a way to stay within policy while honoring the energy students like Catie brought forward.

Balancing Education and Expression

The controversy at LCCA mirrors broader tensions in schools nationwide. Across the country, classical academies and charter schools are grappling with how to balance civic learning with political neutrality.

Supporters of strict policies argue that aligning with outside organizations risks turning classrooms into arenas for activism rather than inquiry. Critics counter that real civic education requires hands-on participation — that understanding the nation’s system means practicing engagement, not just studying it.

Hillsdale College, through its K-12 network, encourages schools to focus on the “virtues necessary for self-government,” but stops short of endorsing affiliation with specific political movements.

LCCA’s family handbook reinforces this boundary, referring to extracurricular clubs as “enrichment classes” meant to support — not extend — the school’s core curriculum.

For many families, though, the line between education and expression feels thinner than ever.

“She wasn’t trying to bring politics into school,” Melissa said. “She wanted a place where students could talk about ideas respectfully — where they could learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.”

A Legacy Still Moving

Behind the headlines, what stands out most in Catie’s story is the quiet determination of a young person trying to turn inspiration into action.

Her motivation traces back to that September morning when she watched Charlie Kirk’s memorial online, hearing peers and mentors describe how his vision of civic renewal had reached classrooms across the country.

“She was extremely moved by that,” her mother said. “She’s been to a couple of vigils, and she really felt the pull to start working on something meaningful.”

She reached out to a regional TPUSA field representative, gathered resources, and began planning — not for attention, but for purpose. The process taught her lessons about leadership, persuasion, and resilience long before any official club could exist.

“She’s learning what it means to stand for something, even when it’s complicated,” Melissa added. “That’s what civic education is supposed to be.”

From Rejection to Reflection

Today, as the LCCA board reviews its extracurricular policy and finalizes plans for the new Civics Club, Catie’s name has become quietly symbolic. She doesn’t speak to reporters often, preferring to let her work continue behind the scenes. But her peers say she’s still determined to see students talking more openly about civic life — with respect, curiosity, and courage.

“She never wanted this to be about sides,” said a classmate. “She just wanted us to be involved.”

In that sense, her journey reflects a broader truth about youth activism in America. For every national movement that begins with protest signs and hashtags, countless smaller stories unfold in classrooms and lunchrooms — where teenagers like Catie test what citizenship really means.

A Moment Bigger Than One School

Whether or not the Civics Club becomes a permanent fixture, the episode has already achieved something larger: it reminded an entire community that civic engagement can’t thrive in silence.

From local board meetings to kitchen-table debates, parents and teachers at LCCA have begun re-examining how schools can nurture dialogue without crossing into partisanship.

And for Catie, that’s a victory worth keeping.

“She’s proud of the progress,” Melissa said. “Even if the name on the club is different, the goal is the same — giving students a chance to learn, to speak, and to care.”

In the end, perhaps that’s what Charlie Kirk’s legacy was meant to inspire: not uniform agreement, but participation — the courage to engage, question, and build.

And somewhere in Wisconsin, a high-school student who once sat in silence during a livestreamed memorial is doing exactly that.