Every student currently enrolled at C.H.S. went through the Link Crew program their freshman year, and many upperclassmen rejoined the program as Leaders. All freshmen, current and past, have experienced Link Crew. But what exactly is the impact of Link Crew? 

To understand Link Crew’s influence, one must first understand how Link Crew came to be. Ms. Brantley, one of the Link Crew Coordinators, said that Link Crew was begun by an administrator who no longer works for C.H.S. All Link Crew coordinators are trained under the Boomerang Project, an organization which trains teachers ways to push students out of their comfort zone in safe ways which build community. Of the Boomerang trainers, Ms. Brantley said “they are amazing and well organized,” and every teacher who has completed the course has “loved and been empowered” by it. Ms. Hart and Ms. Armstrong were the first to be trained, but as the program has grown, more Coordinators have been added. Every activity Link Crew does, Ms. Brantley added, has “lots of research” to support its value. “Everything is deliberate,” she said. 

Once a Coordinator is successfully trained, they then train the Link Crew Leaders who have been selected from the upperclassmen who apply to lead a group of freshmen. There, the Coordinators teach the Leaders the exact same activities that the Coordinators themselves were taught at the original Boomerang training. “We stick to what they [the Boomerang trainers] have,” Ms. Brantley said. “All the activities we do in [Boomerang] orientation, they [Leaders] do.” The most important thing for Link Crew is that it allows everyone to have “someone they can identify with.” Ms. Brantley said she does see the positive influence of Link Crew, both in “school data to support it,” and “when we do interviews for people who want to be in Link Crew.” 

Link Crew is clearly a well established program. So how does this year’s freshmen feel about it? Freshman Ben Baumgartner said that, while Link Crew has not necessarily eased the transition from Buford to C.H.S., it has helped with “getting to know people,” and he is “absolutely” glad overall to be a part of Link Crew. Generally, Baumgartner enjoys the Link Crew Leader visits, “[depending] on what they’re doing.” Part of the problem freshmen seem to share with Link Crew is that “We don’t do much, just play games and stuff,” Baumgartner said. Other freshmen seem to echo this stance, with 50% of students reporting that Link Crew has not made a difference in their transition. 

The most beneficial part of Link Crew seems to be the social aspect. 50% of students report that they are glad to have a Link Crew Leader, and 40% consider their Leader a friend. One anonymous student said that “Link Crew made the social transition as well as the shift in workload much easier when transitioning to C.H.S.” Having an automatic friend who will both look out for the freshman and help them learn how to balance work and a social life seems to be a very helpful influence during the middle-to-high school transition. 

Freshmen are not only grateful for the companionship they have with their Leader, but also for the advice and guidance their Leader offers. One student said that the most helpful aspect of Link Crew was the “tour of the school and advice at the beginning” of the year. Another said that Link Crew has helped them in “being more mindful.” 

While there is definitely still room for Link Crew to further their influence, – on average, freshman rate the strength of Link Crew’s impact at a 2 on a 5-point scale – freshmen overall are grateful to reap the benefits of the program. By providing an automatic friend with advice and knowledge to offer, Link Crew takes the edge off of the otherwise scary and stressful transition. There is no doubt that Link Crew is a helpful program which both helps freshmen feel more comfortable, and shows how much the school cares for their incoming class.