This year there have been noticeable changes around the school, but there also have been changes with some of the programs, one being Link Crew.

The rumors are true: the decision to make Link Crew one semester has happened. After four years of doing two-semester Link Crew, it has been decided to change to only one semester, but why?

   Link Crew adviser, Mr. Bill Reichert, was able to share the thought process behind the change: “It takes four years for the Link Crew program to fit into a system and now that everyone in the school has been through it, the full transition has taken place. From the feedback we’ve gotten, it seems to be that all the important topics discussed in Link Crew could fit into one semester.”

With this big change taking place, Link Crew had to cut off five months of the information taught to the freshman. With so many days off, the Link Crew advisers have to find a way to get all the important information condensed into the few months that they have.

“Although it is stressful to fit everything into one semester, I think if everyone stays on track we can fit everything into one and focus on the important material,” shared junior Link Crew leader Alexis Darnell.

Link Crew is not just something only LHS does, it’s something that schools across the United States participate in. Before the Link Crew program, there were other freshman transition programs. Mr. Reichert shared that these programs have been proven to help freshmen get involved in school, which is why getting rid of Link Crew isn’t an option.

According to senior Joey Locascio, Link Crew is a waste of time: “Students should enjoy their lunch and have their free time.”

The semester change wasn’t the only noticeable difference about the program this year. Two weeks before school started, a bus full of Link Crew leaders drove 30 minutes to a mosquito-infested camp called Henry Horner. The purpose of this was to help the Link Crew leaders bond before school started.

Normally Link Crew leaders just meet at the school and get together mixed with everyone, so they didn’t really get to spend a lot of time with their co-leaders and the other people in their lunch. Then, come Freshman Orientation, they are trying to learn about the kids in their groups while they are trying to learn about the other leaders. By traveling to the camp, the leaders were able to participate in bonding activities with their co-leaders and other people in their lunch to prepare them for the upcoming year.

   “I think going to Link Crew camp helped set up entering the school year because it got us all together to bond and focus on our activities, and we should do it again because it really helped with the Link Crew process,” explained senior Cam Shaffer.

Also this year, on October 6, LHS will be hosting the Midwest Link Crew Conference. This is where schools all over the Midwest with a Link Crew program of their own come together to do activities. LHS has participated in this before, but each school was only allowed to bring 20 kids; now that it is being hosted here, all the LHS leaders will be able to participate.