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Turning freshmen into Flyers
A review of LHS's first ever Link Crew
Olivia Raymond, Staff Writer
Sep 7, 2007
Did the links connect? Was Link Crew effective in helping new students transition?
That is for the class of ‘11 to decide.
Freshmen gathered in Gym 3, Mon. Aug. 20, greeted by newly trained Link Leaders (juniors and seniors chosen last May to help the freshmen with their move to high school).
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| Juniors Lauren Alspach and Sean Robb punch hands as freshmen pass the cheering link leaders. PHOTO BY HANNAH WIESE / PILOT |
The transition from middle school is considered one of the most difficult. Sperreng students are accustomed to foreign language "teams" in which classes are grouped together. LHS’s big campus and crowded hallways can pose overwhelming to new students.
Freshmen were put into groups of eight with two upperclassmen as their leaders. They played name games to get to know each other and toured the campus.
"I liked the tour. It helped me find my way around," said Brenden Lowe (9).
Overall, the orientation was very helpful for freshmen. It helped them get to know both the school and fellow classmates. Despite the games being long and somewhat pointless, the Link Crew was a big hit.
"The Link Leaders were really nice. They made me feel welcome," said DJ Ullrich (9).
Instead of playing games with metaphors for high school, the orientation should have focused more on practical information.
"The games should’ve been shorter and had a point," said Anna Tripolitis (9).
Great effort went into putting this event together and preparing for nearly 500 new students. Most everything was well organized, from separating into groups to Mother’s Club providing lunch. However, the student ID pictures required standing in a ridiculously long line, and many students did not receive their IDs until days later.
Another aspect of orientation many freshmen frowned upon was getting their schedules only one day before school started. Although all other LHS students received their schedules at least a week before school began, freshmen were left anxious about their classes.
A major aspect of the Link Crew is that Link Leaders give on-going help.
For many freshmen, it’s comforting to know that there is always someone there to look out for you. The job of Link Crew is to make freshmen feel comfortable.
So far, Link Crew proved effective in the task of welcoming new freshmen. Hopefully, this will be an annual program, making each year’s new students more at ease.
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