Burroughs students are back and ready to start a new school year. With the new school year comes new freshmen, taking their first steps onto Burroughs campus. But, who helps them transition from middle to high school? That’s where Burrough’s Link Crew Leaders step in.
“We had an outstanding group of Link Crew Leaders this year,” said Link Crew Advisor Bob Hope. “Our crew leaders were very kind, helpful, and dedicated to developing their leadership skills.”
In order to be accepted into Link Crew, Link Crew Leaders had to fill out a form and attend over ten hours worth of training during their summer break. Training began in May and resumed in late July.
“Our first hope for the Class of 2027 is that they feel much more welcome and connected to their new school as the transition from middle school to high school is a challenging one,” said Hope.
During training, Link Leaders had to put themselves in the incoming freshman’s shoes; meeting new people and playing all of the activities the freshmen played during orientation.
“Being a part of a group of potential leaders and getting to know each other through the different activities was my favorite part about Link Crew,” said senior Link Crew Leader Braelyn Wilson.“My favorite activity was the 64 Squares activity.”
On the day of orientation, Link Leaders met up at the gym at 6:45 in the morning, preparing to welcome the incoming freshmen to Burroughs.
“I love the commitment of everyone who is a part of Link Crew and how we’re in charge of welcoming and being the comfort people for the freshman,” said junior Link Crew Leader Aria Ballowe.
With the gym doors opening at 8 in the morning, it was officially the start of freshmen orientation.
“I really enjoyed interacting with my fellow link leaders as we helped and welcomed in the incoming freshmen of this year. The coordinators were very approachable and they guided us every step of the way,” said senior Link Crew leader Jacob Fernandez.
“[Our] second [hope], is that through their Link Crew Leaders and groupmates, they made new friendships or were able to reconnect with old friends,” said Hope.
Even though for years it has only been juniors and seniors welcoming freshmen to Burroughs on orientation, sophomores are starting to participate in Link Crew.
“Last year we added some exceptional sophomores to our Link Crew Leader ranks, and this year we added even more. In the past, sophomores participated in the Link Crew A-Team, responsible for painting posters, getting some of the preparation done for orientation, and helping with the setup and teardown,” said Hope. “This year’s sophomores demonstrated their strong leadership skills and helped make the 2023 Freshmen Orientation successful.”
“Going from a freshman in the stands to a link leader showing the freshman in just a year was a very cool experience. I remembered feeling exactly how the freshmen were and it was nice to help them start high school, like others helped me,” said sophomore Link Leader Audrey Robesky.
On the first day of school, Link Leaders helped freshmen find their classes around campus. Even just weeks after orientation, Link Leaders are still helping freshmen with their transition to high school.
“Our final hope is that this year’s freshmen class feels like they are a part of something much greater than themselves and that this experience will help pave the way for their success over the next four years here at Burroughs High School,” said Hope.
