Advanced Academic Extracurricular Offerings
Graduation with Distinction (GwD)
Graduation with Distinction is an extracurricular honors program, which emphasizes rigor, curiosity, depth and self direction. Interested 9th and 10th graders are invited to learn more about the group through information sessions and through a day-long field trip offered every spring semester. Students who complete the program are required to meet specific, rigorous course requirements over the course of their tenure at OHS. They must also complete two in-depth, self-defined projects applying academic knowledge or skills to real-world situations, and two semester-long thesis defenses, as the culmination of a series of honors forums. To learn more about the GwD program, please talk to the teacher in charge of GwD, Mr. Bulteel.
Math Team
Math Team is an extracurricular opportunity open to any high school student interested in competing in math meets against other high schools. Meets, which students travel to by bus with the team, include both team and individual rounds. Sample problems from the Maine State Math Meet can be found here. Students interested in learning more about Math Team should contact Ms. Holmes, our Math Team teacher.
Chess Team
The OHS Chess Team offers students an opportunity to practice chess at school and to travel to meets to compete against other teams. If you’d like to learn more about the OHS team, please contact Chess Team coach Ms. Terrill.
Science Fair Club
The Maine State Science Fair, organized by the Jackson Laboratory and by the Maine Math and Science Alliance, is a great opportunity for students interested in conducting their own research and sharing that research at the state fair. In recent years, the fair has drawn about 250 competitors from a variety of high schools. Orono high school students have won prizes in different academic categories, as well as full, four-year college scholarships as a result of their participation in the state fair. If you’d like to learn more about our club or about the fair, please contact Ms. Branchflower, our club leader.
Others Clubs
OHS hosts a variety of other clubs that offer enrichment and leadership opportunities in academic, artistic, and other realms. These include but are not limited to Enclave, our visual arts and literary magazine; the Philosophy Across the Ages club; the Environmental Club; National Honor Society; Key Club; the Civil Rights Team; Art Club; and our Spanish and French clubs. For more information about clubs or how to join one, please talk to your guidance counselor.