The Link Crew transition team worked hard to prepare and welcome the freshman to the high school.

Link Crew is a team of upperclassmen, teachers and administrators who work with the freshman on orientation day. The leaders do activities with the freshman to help expose them to the new environment and build their confidence.

“A year ago during the transition with a group of parents, students, staff, and administration that wanted to promote a positive school environment,” Erin Nickleby, health teacher and Link Leader explained. “They presented Link [Crew] to us as something that was positive and has worked nation wide.”

Link Crew is a yearlong program that is designed to help with freshman orientation. Academic follow-ups are also part of the curriculum where the leaders meet with the new students to help support them academically. They have social follow-ups that are to make connections outside of the classroom and leader initiated contacts so the leaders can connect individually with their freshman as well.

“Freshman were welcomed in and greeted by all of our Link Crew and friendly faces. We did lead up activities that allowed them to take safe risks and get to know new people,” Nickleby said.

The district had pillars of desired results to get from the Link Crew transition process. The main desires were to support the students and let them develop a strong sense of belonging.

“We tried to have the freshman in an open and safe environment where they wouldn’t be worried about what we thought about them,” junior Peyton Classon and Link Crew leader said.

The orientation consisted of groups of 10-12 students from Oak-Land, Stillwater Junior High and new students. Each group was lead by a junior or senior who helped run the activities.

“I think the people writing our orientation curriculum need to realize that they wee once teenagers and they didn’t want to be treated like children. We don’t want to be either,” explained freshman Dorothy Chislett. She added, “We should have had  more time to tour the school and classrooms to become comfortable with the size of the building, rather than having to do stress inducing activities.”

There were games and activities such as making name tags, telling your life story and team juggling that were aimed at getting the freshman comfortable with their new classmates. Most of the day was focused on games and activities to get to know more people, the staff and improve their knowledge of the building.

“There’s a lot more to Link [Crew] than just the freshman orientation. We have opportunities for our leaders to better their leadership skills throughout the year. Link Crew is more than just a one day orientation, it’s an opportunity to embrace and build connections throughout the year,” Nickleby said.