by Gia Hale
This Monday, a group of brave middle school graduates will
sharpen fresh pencils, buy new spiral notebooks, zip up their
backpacks and embark on the whirlwind journey that is high school.
And, thanks to those that came before them, they are not alone.
This Monday, a group of brave middle school graduates will sharpen fresh pencils, buy new spiral notebooks, zip up their backpacks and embark on the whirlwind journey that is high school. And, thanks to those that came before them, they are not alone.
“It’s exciting because I feel like I have a lot more freedom and that it’s a big step in my life,” incoming freshman Andrea Nunez said.
Freshman orientation is an event held at San Benito High School every fall as it opens its doors to new freshmen. This year, there are 822 of them.
The event is run by Link Crew, a group of upperclassmen that host new freshmen before the first day of school. This year’s reception, which was on Friday, welcomes incoming freshmen before the first day of school and acquaints them with the high school and with their peers from other middle schools.
“Freshman Orientation is a program to help the incoming freshman get adjusted to high school life,” senior and Link Crew leader Matt Thorpe said. “To help the freshmen become more comfortable in their surroundings and to get them to step out of their comfort zone.”
The freshmen are divided into small groups and each group is led by a Link Crew member who gives them a tour of the school.
“It was fun,” freshman Maria Alvarado said. “Kayla … is our Link Crew leader. She showed us a lot of games and she showed us around the school.”
Link Crew junior Kayla Antoniono said the freshmen “get to know more people than just from their middle school and have friends of some of the upperclassmen so they’re not so lost on their first day.”
The freshmen are also introduced to the school in an assembly where they are shown many of the activities they can participate in during high school. They were treated to videos from past air jams, introduced to the Associated Student Body Commissioners and got a preview all of the different clubs that operate at SBHS.
“They know what they can expect and they know all the different clubs we offer to them,” Link Crew senior Megan Wubbles said. “They actually get a personal experience of seeing where the high school is and finding out everything about it.”
Nunez found the event helpful.
“I appreciate it a lot. People did a lot of hard work and it makes me feel more comfortable to know where everything is,” she said.
Freshman orientation helps to put the students at ease during a transition period that most agreed was a little frightening.
“I’m a little scared and I’m excited,” said Alvarado, who explained she was most nervous about “new teachers and a lot of homework.”
“It’s exciting, but at the same time it’s nerve-wracking,” agreed Evangelina Carranza, who said that “the drama,” worried her most.
“Meeting new people” was Joanna Villegas’ biggest fear.
The freshmen can rest assured, though, knowing that they have a friend in their Link Crew leaders.
“They’re not alone here and they know they can talk to any of us if they want to,” Wubbles said.
Link Crew operates under the guidance of Student Activities director Juan Robledo. They have been working hard to coordinate the event since the end of last school year.
“In the last week we did two days’ worth of workshops for the link crew leaders.” said Thorpe, who finds participating in Link Crew to be a rewarding experience. “We get to meet all the new faces – the next generation of kids – so it’s cool.”
“I think we’ve had almost all the freshmen show up that were supposed to, everyone’s having a really good time, the food is good and the attitude is really positive,” Wubbles said of the success of the event.
Kayla Antoniono agreed, “I’ve been in link crew for a long time and I think every year has been a success.”
