LINK Crew should revise format
Members of LINK stand with incoming freshmen during their orientation. In the past, this would be the only time freshmen would meet with LINK, but now the groups meets throughout the school year. The Free Press staff agrees this new format be adjusted so that LINK can focus on the freshmen that are not adapting to high school as quick as their peers.
It’s 10 a.m. on a Thursday, and three-quarters of the school is killing time on their phones, while the other quarter is pretending NOT to be killing time on their phones.
Until this year, LINK Crew was a welcoming committee for incoming freshmen. LINK led the one half day of orientation and that was where their commitment ended. Now junior and senior LINK leaders meet monthly with their freshmen mentees to play team-building games during what would otherwise be late arrival time.
This format should be revised with respect to the updated goals of LINK. The institution of LINK is beneficial, and the support and advice the LINK leaders deliver to the freshmen is useful. Students instructing students can be effective and achievable, but the current meeting setup misses its mark.
While most of us are no longer freshmen, we remember our own LINK orientation day and the change from a single orientation-type meeting to recurring and required meetings was a step in the wrong direction.
We see what LINK used to do, the half day of going over new information and rehearsing the trip from class-to-class, as essential to helping freshmen adapt to high school. The games to teach learning strategies and give advice, if once novel during first semester, have become unnecessary by second semester.
The idea of LINK providing more consistent contact for freshmen, especially those who are not adjusting to high school, is not flawed at a basic level. We realize the merits of LINK for these types of students. The problem, however, is that by second semester LINK should be focusing their attention on those who are still struggling.
If LINK was to adopt some of the ideas and procedures Big Brothers Big Sisters uses, they may find more success. LINK, like BB/BS, could offer low-stress one-on-one support to teens that adults often can’t. Instead, LINK passes up fostering potentially personal connections in favor of generalized activities delivered to a disinterested audience.
Another picture of this year’s freshmen during their LINK orienation.
Additionally, second semester LINK needs to consider both their participants’ and nonparticipants’ time. During the mandatory meetings on Thursdays, all students miss their late arrival and must come to school. During the assembly time, they are left to their own devices, and the majority of students are required to remain in classrooms with no structured learning.
As the LINK Crew plans their activities for next year, we hope the group finds ways to forge deeper connections, plan more practical activities and focus their efforts on those who need it most.
