Link Crew leaders have been chosen for the 2015-2016 school year to ensure a smooth transition into high school for the Class of 2019.

The high school has been using the Link Crew program successfully for numerous years now. The program gives upperclassman the opportunity to showcase their knowledge to incoming freshmen with hopes to influence their transition in a positive way. Freshmen are also given the opportunity to interact with more experienced high schoolers that they will see in the halls for the next nine months.

Susquehannock works diligently to provide an environment in which each freshman feels at home. Students are selected to be leaders based off of their involvement in activities which reflects their interests, and also their academic performance. Link Crew coordinators use the selection process, which includes an application and interview, to choose relatable and understanding student leaders.

Current junior Maddy Mummert applied for her second year as a link leader.

“We had to fill out questions of like what activities we’re involved in and how many times we’ve been on academic roll and distinguished honor roll…and then the interview, there were questions about why we wanted to be a link crew leader and what we could do to help the program,” said Mummert.

Like Mummert, many of link leaders join the program as juniors and continue to serve as a leader as a senior.

Megan Longerbeam was a Link Crew leader during her junior year, and has just trained for another year of leading. She looks forward to another rewarding experience.

“We are able to help incoming freshmen, and we know how we felt when we came in [to high school], so we want to limit the stress coming into high school,” said Longerbeam.

Training began Wednesday, May 20 with a “May Day.” In previous years, the program spent a day of their summer vacation at Flying Leap, a part of Ski Roundtop with ropes courses, cooperation exercises and team building aspects. Link Crew this year has decided to provide that training in a different way at the high school.

Link Crew coordinator and social studies teacher Kevin Lawrence was one of the many staff members that debated the change in training strategy.

“We’re changing our training regiment a little over the summer,” said Lawrence. “We’re not going to Flying Leap, not because we didn’t think Flying Leap was good, we thought it was excellent, but in an effort to save some money and be a little more economical with time and dollars, we thought that we would simply do the training here this year and see how that goes.”

Lawrence was one of the staff members to facilitate the training on “May Day.”

“[May Day includes] paper ball juggling, 64 squares…all the activities that we have been doing long enough now at Susquehannock that everyone has done and come to know and love or loathe I suppose,” said Lawrence.

Those same activities introduced to the leaders on “May Day” will be the games and exercises done by incoming freshmen on orientation day along with a tour of the school and practice with lockers. Through Link Crew, Susquehannock will continue to provide ninth graders with a positive transition into the 2015-2016 school year.