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The Link Leaders have arrived for their training.

“The best of the best,” also known as the 2016-2017 Link Crew Leaders, gathered together in the gymnasium for the first time on Thursday. Running through brief activities that await the incoming freshmen, the link team never failed to impress with the team building skills, cooperation and excitement this group of students possesses.

With group effort, a warm-up singing activity was put into action. Directed by Kevin Lawrence, head of Link Crew, different sections had to match his words and pitches, as well as singing in sync.

Sophomore Sydney Smith remembers doing this activity as a new freshman and thinks the incoming freshmen will find it enjoyable.

“When I was a freshman, I remember this was one of the first activities I did here in the high school. It was a fun ice breaking activity, and I hope others see it that way too. I think some of the new freshmen will think they’re too cool for it, but I’m sure they’ll come around. High school is about having fun. But, for the most part, I think others will have fun with it, and I look forward to seeing them start off to a great year,” said Smith.

Simon Says was another activity demonstrated by the Link Leaders. It was a fun game that everyone could engage in.

“Absolutely no talking” was key for the third activity of the day. Small Link groups gathered together and had to rearrange themselves in order from shortest to tallest and by birthdays. This would normally have been an easy activity; however, there was no talking allowed.

Junior Mackenzie Gibson saw the challenges in these activities and thinks this simple game provides a strong message.

“The non-speaking activities show that body language shows communication too. It would’ve been a lot easier to put ourselves in order if we could talk, so it shows how important communication is between one another in high school. Throughout high school, we will face many obstacles and challenges, so if we don’t depend on other people to help and guide us along the way, it’ll be harder to overcome those challenges. And I think this game is really showing that underlying message,” said Gibson.

Wrapping up the short training session, the Link Leaders got to fully interact with the others through a ball tossing activity. New and old link leaders were placed in small groups where they went around saying each other’s names and the significance behind them. When the ball was tossed, the person holding the ball would say their name and the person’s name they were throwing to. This allowed the leaders to get to know a little information about the person, as well as build teamwork.

New and returning Link Leaders all chose to be a part of this group for a common reason, to help the freshmen.

Sophomore Kasey Wolfe was very excited about training and the potential impact it will bring to the freshmen.

“Training built upon the anticipation I already had to get started with Link, and I think it is really going to impact the freshmen in a positive way. The training we went through and the activities they will be going through are fun and interactive,” said Wolfe.

Sophomore Kari Cox is a new Link Leader that wants to help the new high schoolers as much as possible during their first year.

“The training was fun, and it brought back good memories of freshman year. I decided to do Link Crew this year because I want to help the incoming freshmen. I remember how nervous I was coming into the big high school, and I want to help them get through it,” said Kox.

Smith has also been chosen to be a new Link Leader and can relate to the incoming freshmen personally.

“I wanted to be a Link Leader because not only does it seem like a fun way to get involved in school, but it also seems like a way where I can help people. Personally, I know that every day isn’t your best one, but every day has the potential to be the best one. I know how nervous I was going into high school and helping some kids not to feel that way would be sweet. I’m excited to do good for people’s lives, because as a high schooler, it can feel like we just go through the motions every day and stuff gets boring. I’m excited to give the kids the confidence they need to keep going,” said Smith.

Junior Maddie Tomasic is a returning Link Leader and can speak from experience that she thinks the freshmen will enjoy having Link Leaders.

“With my experience from last year, I think the freshmen will learn a lot from the team bonding activities. It may even create long lasting friendships between us [Link Leaders] and the freshmen,” said Tomasic.

Junior Casey Kummer is also a returning Link Leader and definitely has the goal of impacting the freshmen, even more than what she did last year.

“The Link Crew training was actually really fun this year. It was kind of nice to have fun for a morning and play some games, so I hope the incoming freshmen will feel the same way when they come into the high school. I’m excited to be able to hopefully impact the incoming freshmen. Having this as my second year of being a Link Crew member, I feel this year, I will be a better and improved leader. After seeing all the leaders for the upcoming school year, I think the program will be even more successful,” said Kummer.

Junior Chase Summers is a new leader that feels passionately about being a part of Link Crew because he knows it will positively impact the freshmen.

“When I first came to the high school, I was kind of nervous. It was the beginning of a new chapter in my life, and I didn’t know what to expect. The Link Crew Leaders helped me make the transition and feel a part of the school, and because of that, I want to give back to the school and help the incoming freshman so that they too will have a great high school experience.”

Summers is also really excited for what’s to come during his Link experience.

“I’d say the biggest thing I’m looking forward to is seeing the freshman break out of their shell. At the beginning, they’ll all  be really shy and to themselves, but as the year progresses, they’ll get more comfortable with each other and have a really good time,” said Summers.

All the Link Crew Leaders took away great skills and messages from the training and will work together to help the freshmen have a great high school experience as much as they can.