Sarah Booth

Freshmen Claire Goedde, Caroline Shaw and junior Rachel Ebner give each other back massages as part of New Student Orientation.

Sixty Link Crew members guided 309 new students at Freshman Orientation on Aug. 8 and during Common Ground on Aug. 27. Link Crew replaced Nuevos Amigos.

“Link Crew is a high school transition program that welcomes freshmen and strives to make them feel comfortable during their first year so they view high school as a positive experience,” counselor Jennifer Wibbenmeyer said.

Besides Freshman Orientation, Link Crew is planning Trivia Night, Movie Night, Amazing Race, Cocoa and Cram and the Spring Egg Hunt. These activities will allow the Link Crew to stay involved, help and stay in touch with the freshmen.

“My hope is that it will create a stronger and more diverse leaders and the number of students falling by the wayside during their freshmen year will decrease,” Mooney said.

During Freshman Orientation students broke into 30 groups and with two Link Crew members orchestrating six activities.

“My favorite game was with eight-by-eight papers and the group tried to reach the end. If one of the members messed up, you would have to start over. The goal was to get the whole group across,” freshman Blake Geraghty said.

Every Link Crew group had to choose a group theme.

“We dressed up like hipsters. We wore beanie hats, big glasses and help Starbucks. One of the other group’s theme was Happy Birthday. They dressed up as if it was someone’s birthday and kept yelling ‘Happy Birthday’,” freshman Atajio Ivy said.

Juniors and Seniors applied for Link Crew membership late last spring.

“Once accepted they committed to a training day in May, two training days over the summer and additional work days to prep for Orientation. They also committed to attending and facilitating small group activities with incoming ninth graders at Orientation,” Wibbenmeyer said.

Link Crew is not significantly different than Nuevos Amigos.

“Both groups had an application process, extensive leadership training, worked to prepare the school before the doors opened and ran orientation. The big difference is Link Crew’s dedication to freshman education is  ongoing throughout the school year, which will occur in Common Ground times,” Algebra II teacher Patrick Mooney said.

Link Crew’s goal is to stay in contact with the students after Orientation takes place.

“I want to keep in touch with my Link Crew leader. I feel comfortable going to her with my questions and talking to her,” freshman Brandi Beaubien said.