Two new political clubs have been started this year. Civics Club is a revitalization of the Political Science Club, which changed its name after some complications last year. The Young Republicans Club is a totally new club which was recently approved and hopes to have its first meeting soon.

The Political Science Club was founded last year, with a focus on political discourse and current events, especially within the U.S. Many of the club’s meetings were organized into mock debates in which students took sides based on their own personal opinions. These debates quickly took on a bipartisan appearance, forming a division in the club between Republicans and Democrats. This divide caused many of the club’s conservative members to view the club as too liberal and seek a new option. At the same time, the officers of the Political Science Club were trying to fix the problem from the inside.

“We changed the name to Civics Club,” said club officer Preethi Tumati (12). “Because people had a connotation of (Political Science Club) as exclusive.”

The club’s name change is not merely for looks, though. The entire club has been reformed and is taking on a new focus. The Civics Club will continue to discuss politics, but will focus on more global and nonpartisan topics to prevent a divide like last year. The club is also taking on a volunteering aspect, from registering OHS students to vote to finding school activities for Constitution Day.

“(Civics Club) will focus on politics and how they relate to good citizenship,” said officer Ryan Westwood (12).

The next Civics Club meeting is on Thursday, Sept. 21, and will run until 3:15. New members of all political parties are welcome to attend.

There is another new political club this year, the Young Republicans Club. Similar clubs are present in high schools across the U.S. and one will soon be coming to OHS. The club was recently approved and is currently trying to find the ideal structure and iron out details.

“(The Young Republicans Club) will have whoever wants to discuss or hear politics, world events, etc. from the right wing perspective,” said club founder Ben Pavlovsky (11). “We will also do community service for places like Veteran Affairs.”

The Young Republicans Club plans to have its first meeting soon and is welcoming all who are interested.