The 2024-2025 school year is in full swing. School started just 2 weeks ago, but so much has happened already.
During lunch on Friday, September 6th, the annual OHS Activities Fair took place. There, students learned about and signed up for clubs and activities of all varieties and topics ranging from Quiz Bowl to Chinese Club, and even The Spartan Speaks. Students could talk to club leaders, take candy, and more.
“At the [activities] fair, I joined Quiz Bowl and took a lot of suckers from The Spartan Speaks stand,” sophomore Alex Peterson said.
The following Thursday, September 13th, was the first Red Club day. Half of the clubs and activities, like The Spartan Speaks and Wellbeing Club meet on Red Club days, while the other half like Quiz Bowl and Unified meet on Blue Club days. The next Blue Club day will be this Thursday, September 19th.
“I was at Book Club in the library and we discussed what our plans were and voted on what books to read,” Peterson said.
Last Friday, September 13th, was “Tackle Cancer” night for OHS football. Pink shirts were sold by the football team during lunch for the three days leading up to the game to be worn during the game. Orono would go on to demolish SMB 48-0. OHS football is currently undefeated, with a record of 3-0.
One new change OHS students are adjusting to this year is later start times. School now begins at 8:00 am, instead of 7:50 am last year, and ends at 2:40 pm, rather than 2:30 pm compared to last year.
“This change is grounded in a growing body of research that highlights the benefits of later start times for adolescents. Studies have shown that students in middle and high school who start their day later experience better academic performance and increased overall well-being,” Principal Steiner wrote in an email to students over the summer.
Not everyone shares this sentiment, however.
“They shouldn’t have changed the start time and the end time,” Peterson said, “I liked it when [school] ended at 2:30.”
Another change OHS is reacting to is the replacement of HelloID with ClassLink. Students can use ClassLink to access all apps they could previously access on HelloID, including The Spartan Speaks, and more. A poll conducted by The Spartan Speaks indicates that 24% of respondents like this change, while the overwhelming majority of respondents, 76% dislike it.
“It’s basically the exact same as HelloID, so there’s literally no point. They’re just making students more confused for no reason,” junior Luke Hamer said.
