  |  |  |  |
| Written by Alice Knotts | |
| Thursday, 02 September 2010 | |
 Amidst the last fleeting days of summer leading up to Freshman Orientation and the beginning of the 2010 school year, eighty-four Walla Walla High School juniors and seniors chose to forgo one last summer hurrah, and instead, gathered together with their fellow classmates in the school gym for one very good cause: GEAR UP’s Link Crew Leadership Camp.  GEAR UP’s Link Crew at WAHI is aimed at creating dynamic relationships between entering freshmen and upperclassmen by strategically pairing them in mentor/mentee relationships using the knowledge and rapport of the older students to connect with the entering freshmen and guide them on their journey into high school. Link Crew leader training focuses on teaching upperclassmen how to really get to know their freshmen mentees, how to establish a caring relationship with them, and how to lead them toward a positive high school experience. The camp agenda covered two fast-paced, attention grabbing days filled with all kinds of skits, stories, games designed to develop leadership skills, problem solving exercises, and reflective discussions. “What Every Freshman Should Know” is a section in the Link Leader Training Handbook which gives Link Leaders a basic understanding of the areas they should address when advising their freshmen on ways to overcome the difficulties of getting acquainted with their new school.  Many other leadership qualities were also addressed in training including how to personally be a good leader, how to be confident, but humble, how to really get to know another person, and how to take negative comments and turn them into positive statements. Camp provided the kids with a great overview of what it takes to be a Link Leader, but Link Crew training does not end when camp is over. The upperclassmen have made a yearlong commitment to both the freshman class and to developing personal leadership and mentoring skills. Their duties involve introducing freshmen to campus on Orientation Day, personally inviting them to the Luau (the first big event on campus), wearing their Link Leader t-shirts on the first day of school so freshmen can find them if they have questions, and carrying out regular check-ins throughout the year. | |
| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 September 2010 ) |
No comments:
Post a Comment