District 225 has streamlined the student club proposal process as a way to maintain consistency between South and North, Dr. Mark Maranto, Assistant Principal of Student Activities, said.

The proposal process is now the same between the two schools to ensure that students at both schools have an equal chance of being able starting a club, Maranto said.

Proposals will no longer be reviewed on a rolling basis, according to the district.

Students will now be required to submit their proposals by a Nov. 3, Maranto said.

“[We dont want people] getting a different experience [with clubs] depending on where you are enrolled in the district,” Maranto said.

Club leaders who have an idea for a club will now be required to submit a proposal containing a district sponsor, written statements containing their idea for the clubs, information about where and when they would meet, and the signatures of 20 students who are interested in the clubs, accoridng to the district.

After submitting their proposal, the Assistant Principal of Student Activities and the Assistant Activities Director, Julie Smith, will review the proposal for completeness. The review process will consist of Maranto, Smith, and two student representatives from each grade, Maranto said. Then the person proposing the club will put on a 20 minute presentation about their club, giving the review committee time to ask questions. The committee will decide whether to approve the proposal by January, the district said.

Previously South had StuCo review club proposals and vote on them. One of the reasons Maranto is happy about the change is that StuCo now has more time to plan events.

Additionally all clubs must maintain a membership of 10 active students, hold two meetings a month, have regular meetings between student leaders and staff advisers, hold two school events per year, and follow all board policies regarding clubs, the document read.

Once their proposal is approved, the club enters a pilot phase of two full semesters. During this period, a plan will be developed by the adviser, student leaders, and the Assistant Principal of Student Activities and the Assistant Activities Director to keep the club afloat, the district said.

South currently has 118 clubs and closed the review process at the beginning of this year to ensure there are no duplicate clubs, or clubs that are too similar, Maranto said.

Clubs are important to the South community as they reinforce one of the districts core values of building a sense of student belonging, Maranto said.

“The goal is always [that] everybody can find something that they love and want to be invested in,” Maranto said.