The new Oak Lawn Community High School bell schedule triggered fear and anger from the upperclassmen as they learned that it was completely different from what have been used to. The school had been researching the change in the bell schedule for over two year to fit the needs of the students. Although the times in the schedule changed, the biggest difference was the two new embedded components that may seem pointless to many and very useful to others.

Spartan Plus provided the students with the time they need to see a specific teacher of their choice instead of being assigned to a specific classroom in which it may not serve them what they need. This period comes after Advisory and is a replacement to typical study hall periods. Students sign up in Skyward to visit their teachers throughout the week to get extra help, make up tests, and work on projects.

Advisory takes place every day after second period, and it is the time for students from the same grade level to meet with a teacher and discuss important topics that are relative to the requirements of the grade level they are in. One, students will engage in a Social Emotional Learning curriculum designed to help students balance the demands in their life. It is also a time for teachers to connect with students, check their grades and enjoy Stop, Drop and Read.

Although students get access to variety of resources and classrooms, it still seems to be a tedious process to sign up every week, get used to not having Advisory or Spartan Plus on Wednesdays, and not finding enough spots to sign up for when the students really need help in a specific topic also having in mind that the period is not sufficiently long enough to cover the needs of the students.