*Correction: It was previously reported that this change was implemented by the school board, which is not accurate. The change was implemented by the High School and District administration. This oversight has been fixed and The Spartan Speaks regrets any confusion this may have caused.

A change is coming to OHS: clubs will no longer meet during Spartan Hour. Instead, clubs will now meet before or after school.

This change was announced during Spartan Hour on Thursday, February 12th and is intended to increase inclusivity and expand access to academic support during the school day.

“We want to ensure every student has more access to academic and belonging help/intervention during the school day,” the high school administration wrote in a statement sent to students on Friday, Feb. 13.

Under the new policy, clubs will now meet either before or after school. Spartan Hour will now be reserved exclusively for school-wide programming with events such as the Polar Plunge, the Jake Anderson Leadership Symposium, and AP study sessions.

Some students are expressing concern about the rollout of this new change.

“I wish there were more logistics in place before rolling it out to the student body,” junior Ella Palm said. Palm is a vice-chair of the Unified Club and the chair of the Orono Youth in Government chapter, both organizations that will be affected by this new change.

Club advisors will create new schedules for their clubs in accordance with the shift. An OHS Club Calendar will be released shortly, outlining new meeting times.

This change takes effect immediately and begins next week.

When reached for comment, administrators referred back to the above statement.