Bella Fiddler

A unique component of Link Crew is the pyramid which changes weekly.

The start of the school year means incoming freshmen being welcomed into Benilde-St. Margaret’s. The first day of a new school can be exciting and a start to a new era of your life, but that can also come with nerves and anxiety about being at a new school filled with new people. Thankfully, because of Link Crew, freshmen receive the opportunity to see a positive example of an older student at their school, get to connect with fellow freshmen, and get to have a role model. Link Crew is a national group of juniors and seniors who collectively work together to connect with freshmen, giving them a mentor and easing their transition from middle school to high school.

Being a freshman can feel daunting when you aren’t used to the building or the most rigorous material, and link crew leaders can be leaders to these ninth graders and give advice to the younger class. Being someone the ninth graders can trust is one of the main reasons juniors and seniors, such as Sophia Chevalier, want to join the club. “I joined Link Crew to help provide a seamless transition for new students into a new school. I know it can feel very intimidating to enter a place where you don’t know anyone and you don’t have friends yet, so I wanted to be there as someone who could support those students,” Chevalier said.

The social aspect of a new school can be especially overwhelming for first-year students, but Link Crew gives students a space where they are able to have fun and branch outside their friend groups. One of the adult leaders and organizers of this group is John Groess, one of the math teachers at BSM. Groess enjoys seeing students being able to express themselves within Link Crew and create an authentic environment. “I get to have some real moments with them about how they need to start letting their guard down and being themselves on day one, even though it is really hard and scary. When I get to see one or two kids do that, that always makes me happy for the year,” Groess said.

Link Crew comes with benefits for the leaders who choose to apply. Since all the students applying have experienced being freshmen themselves, they are aware of the different stressors freshmen may be feeling on their first day, and can empathize with those feelings and provide advice and be a positive influence to the first-year students. “I wanted to join Link Crew because I really enjoyed what they did for me in ninth grade, and as a freshman, you’re at a new school. I hardly knew anyone… Link Crew is just a way to let them get to know their homeroom and older people,” Chevalier said.

Link Crew also helps Juniors and Seniors develop leadership skills, which they can carry into college and adult life. A part of being a leader in Link Crew is being in charge of various activities and games, as well as being comfortable collaborating with new people. Junior Anna Kelm acknowledges how Link Crew has helped her in multiple ways. “I have gotten a lot better at public speaking and leading small groups, and I have also gotten better at time management,” Kelm said.