SAN DIEGO — Hidden inside Clairemont High School is an entire world of presidents past. 40,000 presidential-related items are spread across three rooms.
Items such as a gavel made with wood from Abraham Lincoln's desk, solar-powered Trump and Biden bobble heads and an original "Ike Girl" dress can be found in the museum.
Most items were donated, but a quarter of it is history teacher and museum director Jim Fletcher's personal collection. His superintendent used to be roommates with Former President Bill Clinton. Fletcher sent an enclosed letter in the same envelope the superintendent was sending to Clinton.
"I said, ‘Is there anything that you've actually owned that you could give us so that we could represent you in our museum collection?’ And he sent us these horrible golf shoes," Fletcher said.
But all the neat and original items aren't just for display.
"Kids started saying, you know, 'Fletch, you should start a museum,'" Fletcher said. "And I said, 'Okay, I'll do it if we start a museum.'"
The museum allows Fletcher to teach the next generation of voters about history and politics in an unique way.
"The way to get into that is to show them what Democracy can do," Fletcher said. "You can do anything in a Democracy because you have a voice and you have choice, and that's power."
In the future, he's hoping to expand the museum to reach more students.
"I think we should put a tenth of the collection on a bus and take it around to elementary schools," Fletcher said.
The museum and his collection will continue to grow, inspire and teach.
"It's not my legacy, it's the legacy of our country and the importance that we give to our Democratic leaders," Fletcher said.
If you'd like to see the collection, you can get in touch with Fletcher by calling Clairemont High School.