Walking into the large gym on the day of freshman orientation last August, hesitant freshmen were welcomed with excited cheers from dozens of upperclassmen.
This formative freshman event is hosted and organized by Link Crew, a group dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging to new students on campus.
While Link Crew — advised by English 9 and Yearbook teacher Megan Laws — provides valuable orientation and initial support, throughout the past few years, during the second semester, she has noticed a steady drop in engagement, especially due to leaders becoming swamped with extracurriculars and academics. Since second-semester activities often start up again around March, Laws believes many leaders forget about their responsibilities during that time.
“I think we can do more events that have fun incentives throughout the second semester; that way, it can be something Link leaders are more excited to do,” said Laws.
To combat this issue, Laws hopes the school will consider expanding the program into an official Link Crew class in the future.
A dedicated class would expand support from a one-day orientation into a year-long system of connection, while providing structured time for intentional leadership training and mentorship development.
Through this class, she hopes to teach students skills in leadership, peer mentorship, empathy and time management. In general, she hopes the Link Crew class provides an environment for students to grow their character and social skills.
In the class, juniors and seniors would be trained in team-building, cooperative skill development, discussion facilitation and peer counseling techniques to prepare them to mentor incoming students. Besides running freshman orientation, leaders would facilitate follow-up lessons, advisory activities and support at-risk students through peer connection and academic encouragement. They also organize events such as freshman socials, academic support initiatives and community-building activities.
In the meantime, Laws is focused on next year’s Link Crew roster and leadership. The application involved an option for multiple mediums — students applied through a Google Form, a paper application or a video application, which was due on April 17.
“I do that because everybody presents themselves in different ways, and I want to meet all those different styles of people, just like how we’re going to meet those different styles of people at freshman orientation and beyond,” Laws said.
To gain insight on students, questions included what activities students are involved in, whether they speak multiple languages, whether they have experience working with students with special needs and where they think they would fit best within the Link Crew.
This year, she said she is being a lot more selective in choosing students with many extra commitments and leadership roles over students who might not have as much in their schedule.
“My goal is to also focus on sharing tips and tools for time management with the link leaders during our May Development Day, Link Crew Training and during our monthly meetings, as this is an important life skill,” Laws said. “My hope is that students can look at their leadership commitments as practice for jobs in the real world, and treat them as such.”
She hopes to also teach freshmen about time management and commitment, as overscheduling and dropping certain activities has been increasingly common at the school over the past few years.
For now, while there is no Link Crew class, Link Crew is made up of roughly 72 older students — at least two leaders for every 10 freshmen — with six commissioners.
The 2025-2026 commissioners include Mahika Jandhyala, Shirina Cao, Diya Ravi, Blue Chankhunthod, Anthony Tran and Dahyun Kim. While mostly rising upperclassmen are encouraged to apply as Link Leaders, rising sophomores are allowed to join Link Crew to work behind the scenes rather than leading a group.
The commissioners meet once a month to discuss and organize plans. In the past, they have hosted bracelet making, ornament decorating and scavenger hunt events to help freshmen assimilate to SHS. Link Crew also supports freshmen through their first finals week by providing care packages and hosting a de-stress event.
Freshman Prapti Venkataraman found Link Crew’s guidance helpful.
“Link Crew was helpful for me to get a feel of high school and know where everything is located. I was also able to meet new people through the group as well,” Venkataraman said.
To junior Diya Ravi, being a Link Crew commissioner and helping others ease into high school allowed her to develop numerous skills and create unforgettable experiences.
Her most notable memory occurred during the winter Link Crew ornament decorating event, when she noticed a few shy freshmen and invited them to join the other students.
“It was delightful to see how a simple invitation made a difference. It was heartwarming to witness how a little encouragement allowed everything to fall into place,” Ravi said.
Looking back at her high school link crew experiences, Ravi acknowledges her personal growth through life-changing experiences.
“Being a part of Link Crew greatly contributed to my growth in being a leader. I’ve become more comfortable with stepping out of my comfort zone, helping students come out of their shells and event planning,” Ravi said. “These are valuable lessons I hope to carry with me to college and throughout life.”
While Link Crew requires considerable time commitment and dedication, Laws highly encourages students to join Link Crew, as it benefits the school as a whole.
“It’s a really special community,” Laws said. “It not only supports our new students, but it also helps create this environment and attitude on campus where students support one another and just want to help each other out.”
