The 2017-2018 school year has officially kicked off with much help from the enthusiastic Coronado Link Crew.  On 8/17, freshmen walked into Coronado for the first time. Some entered the gym with mopey frowns on their faces, some with evident fear, and some with excitement.  No matter the attitude students came with, each freshman had a glowing smile by the time they took their seat in the bleachers. This aroma of positivity amongst the freshmen would not have existed without Coronado’s Link Crew and their mission to make Coronado a more welcoming and friendly place.

Coronado’s Link Crew consists of juniors, seniors and administrators who genuinely care about the Coronado community and who aim to make it a better place. By helping freshmen fit into the Corondo community, Link plants a seed of success in the new students, each of whom will go on to improve our school.  Freshmen are often portrayed as “the bottom of the food chain,” but for Link Crew, there is importance in acceptance. Here, no student is left behind.  

“Link Crew welcomes freshmen into highschool and gives them an opportunity to find their classes and meet their teachers. I think their first day has been awesome – lots of fun, lots of smiling faces and lots of fun activities,” says Mrs. Schlieker, a director of this year’s Link Crew.  Without the help of Coronado’s staff, Link Crew would not be the same. Not only do staff Link advisors help freshmen transition to Coronado, but they also teach the junior and senior Link members lessons and skills that will be applicable for the rest of their lives.   

Taylor Eguilera, an incoming freshman, said, “they [Link Leaders] helped me around the school so I could get to know where my classes were at. The activities we did were pretty fun. I’ve been pretty excited to come to this school and I like it so far.”  By the end of the day, many freshman had similar mentalities to Taylor’s. “The tour around the school was really helpful.  I already knew a few people in my group, but I also got to meet some new people and that was really cool,” said  Kathleen Hagar, another incoming freshman.

When asked how the freshmen were doing on their first day, Mrs. Brandt said, “I think they are doing great, in part because of the Link Crew. They [Link Leaders] are so energetic and so enthusiastic and so fired up about the school year and that is really rubbing off on these freshmen.”

Link Leaders spent hours preparing for the freshmen to walk through the doors of Coronado High School, and on 8/18 their hard work became quite evident. Thanks to Link, freshmen have started their first year of highschool with a huge head start. Be sure to continue to welcome this year’s freshmen with open arms. Have a great year Cougars!