![Link Crew members welcome incoming freshmen during the Freshmen Welcome Day. [Tayler Frausto]](http://www.jstudentboard.com/reporter/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bohs.jpg)
“To me, the Link Crew name represents who we are as a team,” club president Tayler Frausto told JSR. “We are ‘linked’ together into a ‘crew’ who get to become very close because we all share the same goal: to help the incoming freshmen, because we were once in their position.”
To prepare, Link Crews participated in two consecutive training days on August 24 and 25. Over these two days, Link Crew members planned a variety of events including Freshman Olympics and a campus tour. Throughout those two training days, Link Crew members learned how to courageously introduce themselves; lead games such as Count Off, Team Juggling, Life Story, and 64 Squares; and convey information to freshmen.
“In the training days, seniors got to know the juniors and help them out since seniors are experienced. I would classify them as great team-building events,” Frausto said.
After the end of last training session, two or three Link Crew members and six or seven freshmen were organized into each group. Link Crews were assigned to individually call freshmen in their group to encourage them to come to the event.
On the Welcome Day, Link Crews greeted freshmen with dances and high-fives and then led their groups to each classroom and started group sessions. In addition to games, Link Crews gave precious pieces of guidance and advice.
After training days, freshmen responded that they got tremendous help from this event.
“[BOHS] is huge. After that tour, I now have an idea of where most places are around school,” freshman Brandon Medley said.
“Link Crew Leaders’ advice gave us a clue of what we should do and what we shouldn’t do,” Andrew Ahn, an incoming freshman, reported to JSR. “So, I think [getting advice from Link Crews] was good.”
Divnoor Kaur, another freshman, told JSR, “Now I feel comfortable in the fact that I am going to high school. Before I [attended this event], I was very scared in not knowing anyone but the Link Crew Leaders made me feel very welcomed.”
Frausto also related a story of one girl who began the day quietly before “breaking out of her shell” and having fun towards the end. And Freshmen Welcome Day did not only help freshmen; it was good for the Link members as well.
“The day allowed for the Link Crew Leaders to work on and expand their skills as leaders. It gave them the opportunity to give back and become stronger leaders. They needed to learn to work and collaborate with fellow Link Crew Leaders in their small group session,” Kara Dietz, Link Crew adviser, told JSR.
Welcome Day also offered Frausto a chance to reflect on the definition of leader.
“I don’t like classify myself as the leader because we have people who are leaders in their own way, some getting the attention and praise for doing things that are noticeable and others not getting because they work behind the scenes and receive the gratitude of getting something accomplished. We are all in this together and no one is classified as being ‘higher’ than anyone else,” Frausto told JSR.
