Two minutes. One hundred and twenty seconds. That’s how much younger Sam Fennell-Chametzky is than his brother. Sam doesn’t mind, though. Sam is more interested in learning history and politics. For example, not only has he memorized which presidents have won what states in certain years, but he’s also memorized all the losing candidates in those years as well. Another thing Sam knows that Donald Trump was the first president to win an election without winning his home state since Woodrow Wilson. The list of facts go on.

Sam first got interested in politics by talking to his dad and having political conversations with others. He often gets a lot of his information from reading books and Wikipedia. “I read a lot of history books as a kid,” Sam said.  One of his friends, Patrick Taylor ‘20, is also an avid learner along with Sam. They’re very familiar with old elections and know which governor is from what state. “We debate about history and politics. We have different views on things.” said Taylor

Sam’s brother, Aaron Fennell-Chametzky ’20, also knows about his great passion for learning. “Really smart. That’s the first thing that comes to mind.” said Aaron. Him and Aaron are both involved in the debate club at West, which they’ve done since their seventh grade. Aaron finds it stressful because rounds are typically tight packed, but describes them as friendly. “I enjoy the time in between rounds the most.” His favorite parts of debate are the overnight competitions, in which they travel to another city to compete in.

One defining characteristic that Sam has is that he isn’t afraid to express his opinion on things, and that drives him to learn. “My interests in politics and history reflect what I talk about to people, and how I talk is how I present my personality.” Sam said with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Sam also often likes to express his knowledge and opinions on a political forum called U.S. Election Atlas. This allows him to be able to think about politics and participate without being able to vote yet. But that’s not the extent of his political involvement. Last year, Sam participated in the Hillary Clinton campaign by canvassing. Although he was let down by her loss, he was still able to learn a valuable lesson from it. “It was a good experience because it allowed me to get involved in the political process.” His goals for the future are staying involved in the political forums, and continuing to develop his debate skills. “That’s a good way I stay involved in politics, even after the election.”

Another thing Sam often does is play viola. He started playing in 4th grade, and continued playing from there. He enjoys the sound music makes, and believes playing viola is a lot of fun. “I don’t know what I would’ve done instead.” In the past, Sam has made Junior Honors Orchestra, Hawkeye Honors Orchestra, and Kennedy Honors Orchestra. “It allows me to play challenging music with other good musicians,” says Sam.

In addition to playing in orchestras, he also often plays piano with his brother. Sam often likes to do more with his music. Him and his brother used to do competitions, but they mainly participate in recitals now. Recently, Sam tried out for All-State Orchestra, but didn’t make the cut. However, he is determined on trying out again this year. “I think it’ll go better since I know what to expect now.” Sam said.